Tag: Pat Surtain

Pat Surtain grabs pick-6, but AFC falls to NFC in 2024 Pro Bowl (highlights)

The AFC lost to the NFC on Sunday, but Broncos cornerback Pat Surtain made a big play in the flag football game.

After a successful switch to a flag football format in 2023, Peyton Manning (AFC) and Eli Manning (NFC) returned to coach their respective conferences at the 2024 Pro Bowl Games in Orlando this week.

Peyton’s AFC squad won Sunday’s flag football game 50-34, but with points from skills competitions added in, Eli’s NFC won the 2024 Pro Bowl Games with a cumulative overall score of 64-59. Eli’s NFC also defeated Peyton’s AFC last year with a cumulative score of 35-33.

The Denver Broncos were represented by cornerback Pat Surtain, safety Justin Simmons and wide receiver Marvin Mims at this year’s Pro Bowl. Check out some of the top moments from Pro Bowl week below.

How to watch and stream the 2024 Pro Bowl

This year’s Pro Bowl will be televised on ESPN and ABC. Peyton Manning (AFC) and Eli Manning (NFC) have returned to coach their conferences.

The 2024 Pro Bowl will be played at Camping World Stadium on Sunday, Feb. 4 at 1:00 p.m. MT. The flag football game will be televised on ESPN, ABC, Disney XD, and ESPN Deportes. Fans can stream the game on ESPN+, NFL+ or fuboTV (try it free).

Peyton Manning (AFC) and Eli Manning (NFC) have returned to serve as the head coaches of their respective conferences. The Denver Broncos will have three players starting for the AFC: Justin Simmons (safety), Pat Surtain (cornerback) and Marvin Mims (returner).

In addition to the flag football game, the 2024 Pro Bowl Games will also feature the following four skills competitions on Sunday:

  • Madden NFL Head-to-Head: For the fourth consecutive year, EA SPORTS will host the Madden NFL Head-to-Head Pro Bowl Games event. Two players will represent the NFC and defend their title against the AFC played in Madden NFL 24 using the official 2024 Pro Bowl Games rosters. New this year, the winning team will earn their conference three points.
  • Gridiron Gauntlet: A full-field relay race between six AFC players and six NFC players who show off their athletic prowess in a challenging obstacle course. They’ll break through walls and crawl under doors, among other obstacles, to get to the final sled push across the field with the ultimate goal of finishing first. The winning team will earn their conference three points.
  • Tug-of-War: New this year, Tug-of-War is a five-on-five demonstration of teamwork, strength and strategy. Positioned above a foam pit, players are challenged to pull backwards on the rope, attempting to move the opposing team in their direction. The competition will be the best of three, and the winner who pulls the opposing team across the marker twice gains three points.
  •  Move the Chains: This offensive and defensive linemen strength and speed competition takes strategy and teamwork. Each team of five players must work together to move 3,000 pounds of weights off a massive wall and be the first team to pull that 2,000-pound wall across the finish line. The winner will earn three points for their conference.

The Pro Bowl switched to a flag football and skills competitions format last year and Eli’s NFC defeated Peyton’s AFC with a cumulative winning score of 35-33. Last year, members of the winning team received $88,000 and players from the losing team earned $42,000.

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Broncos select CB Terrion Arnold in Daniel Jeremiah’s first NFL mock draft

Daniel Jeremiah’s first 2024 NFL mock draft has the Broncos selecting Alabama CB Terrion Arnold at No. 12 overall.

In his first 2024 NFL mock draft, NFL Network’s Daniel Jeremiah has the Denver Broncos addressing their need for a No. 2 cornerback.

The Broncos select Alabama cornerback Terrion Arnold at No. 12 overall in Jeremiah’s mock.

“I think Arnold could go as high as fifth overall,” Jeremiah wrote on NFL.com. “He’s the best cornerback in this draft and he would pair with Pat Surtain II to give the Broncos one of the best CB tandems in the league, if not the best.”

Before Denver’s pick, quarterbacks Caleb Williams (No. 1), Drake Maye (No. 2), Jayden Daniels (No. 3) went off the board at the top of the draft. One more QB (Bo Nix at No. 14) was picked after the Broncos landed Arnold.

Arnold (6-0, 180 pounds) totaled 74 tackles, 20 pass breakups, six interceptions, one sack, one forced fumble and one fumble recovery from 2022-2023 (25 games).

Arnold did not overlap with Broncos cornerback Pat Surtain at Alabama — Surtain’s final season was 2020 and Arnold joined the Crimson Tide in 2021. Surtain did overlap with Denver receiver Jerry Jeudy from 2018-2019.

The Broncos currently hold six picks, but they hope to acquire more. The 2024 NFL draft will be held in Detroit from April 25-27.

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Reaching the Pro Bowl a ‘great honor’ for 3 Broncos players

Justin Simmons, Pat Surtain and Marvin Mims will represent the Broncos at the Pro Bowl this week. “It’s a great honor,” Mims said.

Denver Broncos coaches and scouts will travel to Alabama this week for Senior Bowl practices. Meanwhile, three Broncos players will head to Florida for the 2024 Pro Bowl Games.

Denver’s Justin Simmons (safety), Pat Surtain (cornerback) and Marvin Mims (returner) were elected AFC starters by fans, players and coaches for this year’s all-star flag football game.

“It’s a great honor, and a huge testament to my teammates and the special teams unit,” Mims said on Jan. 4. “They gave me great looks all season. We led the league in both return averages. It ended up working out great, so just to be able to be recognized as a Pro Bowler for this conference and then just representing the special teams unit is a huge honor.”

Mims, a rookie, will be making his first Pro Bowl appearance. Surtain will be returning after making his all-star debut last season.

“It means a lot,” Surtain said on Jan. 4. “The Pro Bowl is such a big thing and such a big deal, especially individually. You always want to receive those accolades for your play. It’s a huge honor to be recognized as such around the league by my peers and the fans for voting me in and thinking I’m that caliber of a player. It means a lot in general.”

Simmons also received his second Pro Bowl nod after previously being selected in 2020 (the game was canceled that year due to COVID-19).

“It means a lot,” Simmons said on Jan. 4. “I made a post last night — I obviously wanted to thank Broncos Country for all the fan votes [along with] coaches and my peers around the league. When you get to a point in this league and you get recognized for your play by opposing coaches and opposing players, it means a lot when your name gets put up there with some of the best in our league. I just feel honored.

“Obviously for Pat, it’s a huge honor for him to continue to cement his legacy, even at an early age. How cool for Marvin in his rookie year to be able to come in and be selected as a starter? Well-deserved for him, too. I’m so happy for them.”

Broncos guard Quinn Meinerz and fullback Mike Burton were named third alternates for the AFC squad.

“For Mike and Quinn earning alternates, I’ve had that a few times,” Simmons said. “I know it’s just going to drive them and continue to help make them the players they’ll become as years go on.”

The 2024 Pro Bowl flag football game will be played on Sunday, Feb. 4 in Orlando. The game will be nationally televised on ESPN and ABC.

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Broncos’ interception leaders from 2023 season

Justin Simmons led the Broncos with 3 interceptions this season and he now ranks seventh on the team’s all-time INTs list with 30.

We continue our look at the Denver Broncos’ statistical leaders from the 2023 season today with a quick list of the team’s interceptions leaders.

It’s no surprise that safety Justin Simmons (three) led the team in 2023. Simmons has now recorded double-digit INTs in each of his eight seasons in the NFL. The veteran safety has had at least three INTs every year from 2018-2023 and he ranks seventh on the team’s all-time INTs list with 30.

Behind Simmons this year was cornerback Ja’Quan McMillian (two) and safety Kareem Jackson (two). Cornerback Pat Surtain, safety P.J. Locke, cornerback Fabian Moreau and pass rusher Jonathon Cooper each grabbed one interception.

The team’s 11 total interceptions this season ranked 19th in the league, so there’s definitely room for improvement going into 2024. Almost half the league (15 teams) totaled at least 15 INTs in 2023 and two teams recorded 22 INTs.

Check out previous lists of the team’s passing and rushing leaders. Here’s a quick look at their interception leaders in 2023.

Broncos CB Pat Surtain, KR Marvin Mims recognized by PFWA

Broncos CB Pat Surtain (All-AFC) and KR Marvin Mims (All-AFC, All-Rookie) were recognized by the PFWA following the 2023 season.

The Professional Football Writers of America (PFWA) has announced its all-pro designations from the 2023 NFL season and two Denver Broncos players were recognized.

Broncos cornerback Pat Surtain made the All-AFC Team alongside New York Jets defensive back Sauce Gardner. Denver wide receiver Marvin Mims also made the All-AFC squad as the conference’s kick returner. Additionally, Mims made the All-Rookie Team as a returner.

Surtain (cornerback) and Mims (returner) were also named starters for the 2024 Pro Bowl after being elected by coaches, players and fans. Broncos safety Justin Simmons will also start for the AFC at the Pro Bowl.

Simmons and Mims were previously named to the Associated Press All-Pro squad as second-team players. Surtain was snubbed by AP All-Pro voters, but he did make the NFLPA’s All-Pro Team that was voted on by his peers.

Elsewhere, Denver fullback Michael Burton made the Pro Football Focus All-Pro Team and long snapper Mitchell Fraboni received second-team recognition from PFF.

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Twitter can’t believe the Seahawks compared Riq Woolen to Pat Surtain

The Seahawks posted a graphic that implied Riq Woolen was comparable to Pat Surtain. Fans on Twitter/X did not approve.

The Seattle Seahawks posted a bizarre graphic on their official Twitter/X page last week that seemingly suggested Riq Woolen is comparable to Pat Surtain.

The graphic showed targets against Surtain and Woolen (93 vs. 71), completions allowed (56 vs. 41), interceptions (1 vs. 2), TDs allowed (3 vs. 3) and yards allowed (701 vs. 391). A key stat Seattle did not mention: Surtain played 1,121 snaps whereas Woolen played 939 snaps.

Surtain was named a Pro Bowler this season. Woolen, a Pro Bowler last year, was benched during the 2023 season.

Surtain responded to the graphic last week: “lol this is crazy ! And I didn’t give up nowhere near 700 yds btw.”

Pro Football Reference credits PS2 with allowing 660 receiving yards in 2023 and Woolen with allowing 384 receiving yards.

Surtain clarified in a follow-up tweet that his response was not a knock against Woolen: “And I got nothing but respect for Riq that’s my boy lol 💯.” It seems that Surtain was merely surprised to see the Seahawks make the comparison. Denver Broncos fans were also shocked.

Broncos have to make a decision on Pat Surtain’s 5th-year option by May 2

The Broncos have until May 2 to pick up Pat Surtain’s fifth-year option (for the 2025 season). It will be worth more than $18 million.

Every player selected in the first round of the 2021 NFL draft (including Denver Broncos cornerback Pat Surtain) has a clause in their contract that includes a fifth-year option for the 2025 season. The window to exercise that fifth-year option opened on Jan. 8. The deadline is May 2.

The Broncos still have more than three months to make a decision. Surtain’s fifth-year option is expected to be worth $18,421,000, according to OverTheCap.com. Picking it up will likely be a formality for Denver as the team negotiates an eventual long-term contract.

During the team’s end-of-season press conference earlier this month, general manager George Paton did not have an update on any potential contract negotiations.

“We’re all big fans of Pat,” Paton said on Jan. 9. “I think Sean [Payton] said it — we’re going to have a big meeting in a couple weeks and go through the entire roster, Pat included. We want Pat here for a long time, but I’m not prepared to make any statements on anything moving forward.”

Surtain is set to earn just north of $3.5 million in 2024 before potentially getting a big pay raise on his fifth-year option in 2025. The highest-paid cornerbacks in the NFL average more than $20 million per season, and Surtain’s agent will likely view that number as the floor in negotiations with the Broncos. There’s no immediate update on PS2’s contract status, but he’ll be paid handsomely when the time comes.

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Justin Simmons comes to defense of Pat Surtain after All-Pro snub

Justin Simmons, Russell Wilson and other Broncos players came to Pat Surtain’s defense after he was snubbed on the 2023 All-Pro Team.

The Associated Press announced its 2023 All-Pro Team on Friday and Denver Broncos star defensive back Pat Surtain did not make the squad, not even as a second-team cornerback.

Fellow defensive back Justin Simmons did make the All-Pro Team as a second-team safety, and he did not appreciate “PS2” being overlooked.

“There are people on this app that think PS2 isn’t a top 4 corner 😭,” Simmons wrote on his Twitter/X page. “I’m not naming them or quote tweeting because they want the attention. Just know you’re a clown and always will be and at some point you will be addressed, now just isn’t the time. Pat is ELITE.”

Broncos quarterback Russell Wilson also gave his endorsement to Surtain:

Philadelphia Eagles cornerback Darius Slay also dubbed Surtain the best in the league.

Apparently, not everyone agrees.

James Merilatt, a digital editor for DenverSports.com, wrote this on his Twitter/X page:

“The PS2 outrage is funny. Dude made zero plays this year. Don’t give me the ‘hey don’t throw his direction’ nonsense. The Patriots did, on the biggest play of the season, and he got beat. He wasn’t an All-Pro this year. Not even close!”

That drew this response from Surtain:

Broncos CB Pat Surtain snubbed by 2023 AP All-Pro Team

Broncos safety Justin Simmons and returner Marvin Mims earned second-team AP All-Pro recognition. Cornerback Pat Surtain was snubbed.

The Associated Press announced its 2023 NFL All-Pro Team on Friday and two Denver Broncos players made the cut.

Broncos safety Justin Simmons and returner Marvin Mims received second-team recognition. Surtain was snubbed.

Surtain (23) totaled 69 tackles, 12 pass breakups and one interception this season. Simmons (30) recorded 70 tackles, eight pass breakups, three interceptions and one sack (he also missed two games due to injury). Mims (21) averaged 26.5 yards per kickoff return and 16.4 yards per punt return this season.

Surtain was named to the NFLPA’s All-Pro Team, and Simmons, Surtain and Mims were all elected as AFC starters for the 2024 Pro Bowl.

Additionally, Pro Football Focus named Denver fullback Michael Burton to its All-Pro Team, and Broncos long snapper Mitchell Fraboni earned a second-team All-Pro nod from PFF.

Simmons and Surtain were named first-team AP All-Pros last season. Denver’s secondary is in good hands with Simmons and Surtain leading the way, despite PS2’s omission this year.