Jonathon Cooper had his NFL draft stock fall in 2021 after a pre-draft EKG revealed a heart irregularity. Cooper had known since high school that he had a Wolff-Parkinson-White heart condition, and that likely explained — at least in part — why he fell all the way to the seventh round in the NFL draft four years ago.
After being picked by the Broncos — who were aware of the condition — Cooper underwent surgery to help correct the irregularity. Fifty-six games in the NFL later, Cooper now has 38 quarterback hits and 18.5 sacks on his resume.
Denver rewarded Cooper’s production with a four-year, $60 million contract extension over the weekend. The humble pass rusher addressed the media for the first time after the news of his new deal broke earlier this week.
“I just want to start off by saying thank you to God,” Cooper said at his press conference on Wednesday. “Thank you to this organization, to Greg [Penner] and Carrie [Walton Penner], George [Paton], all of my coaches, head coach Sean Payton, everybody here that contributed [and] to the Broncos for believing in me. [I] just wanted to state that first and foremost, how thankful I am.”
Cooper’s heart condition likely cost him a few rounds during the 2021 draft, but he believes it all worked out the way it was supposed to.
“It was a tough process with the draft process and everything like that,” Cooper said. “I’m sure without that medical flag, I probably would have went a little bit higher. Honestly, it all worked out the way it was supposed to.
“I couldn’t have asked for a better opportunity than to come here and to get that call from George [Paton]. It was just awesome. Even looking back at that, it all worked out the way it was supposed to, so [I’m] really not upset or mad about it. Just know that it’s time to get back to work.”
Payton was pleased to see the pass rusher get a new deal that will keep him with the team through the 2028 season.
“I’m excited for him,” Payton said. “He’s tough, he’s competitive. I think he’s a really good teammate. We have a lot of these guys that are. You know exactly the physicality you’re getting with a player. Well, you guys know him, so he certainly deserved it.”
Up next for Cooper and Co. is a tough road game against the Kansas City Chiefs on Sunday. Cooper has 2.5 sacks in six career games against the Chiefs, but just one win against them. He’ll aim to build on both of those totals this weekend.
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