Nik Bonitto

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Nik Bonitto
File:Nik Bonitto.png
Bonitto with the Oklahoma Sooners in 2021
No. 15 – Denver Broncos
PositionLinebacker
Roster statusActive
Personal information
Born (1999-09-26) September 26, 1999 (age 26)
Fort Lauderdale, Florida, U.S.
Height6 ft 3 in (1.91 m)
Weight240 lb (109 kg)
Career information
High schoolSt. Thomas Aquinas
(Fort Lauderdale, Florida)
CollegeOklahoma (2018–2021)
NFL draft2022: 2nd round, 64th overall pick
Career history
Awards and highlights
Career NFL statistics as of Week 15, 2025
Total tackles133
Sacks35.5
Forced fumbles5
Fumble recoveries1
Pass deflections6
Interceptions1
Defensive touchdowns2
Stats at Pro Football Reference
Coaching profile at Pro Football ReferenceLua error in Module:EditAtWikidata at line 29: attempt to index field 'wikibase' (a nil value).

Nikolas Bonitto (bo-NEE-toe; born September 26, 1999) is an American professional football linebacker for the Denver Broncos of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Oklahoma Sooners.

Early life

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Bonitto grew up in Fort Lauderdale, Florida and attended St. Thomas Aquinas High School. He was named an Under Armour All-American as a senior.[1] Bonitto was rated a four-star recruit and committed to play college football at Oklahoma over offers from Texas and Louisville.[2]

College career

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Bonitto played in three games as a true freshman before using a redshirt on the season.[3] He became a starter at outside linebacker six games into his redshirt freshman season and finished the year with 43 tackles, 6.5 tackles for loss and 3.5 sacks.[4][5][6] As a redshirt sophomore, he recorded 29 tackles with ten tackles for loss and 7.5 sacks and was named a second-team All-American by the Associated Press.[7] Bonitto repeated as a second-team All-Big 12 selection after finishing his redshirt junior season with 39 total tackles, 15 tackles for loss, 7 sacks and one forced fumble. Following the conclusion of the regular season, he announced his decision to forgo his redshirt senior season and enter the 2022 NFL draft as well as opt out of the 2021 Alamo Bowl.[8]

Professional career

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Pre-draft measurables
Height Weight Arm length Hand span 40-yard dash 10-yard split 20-yard split 20-yard shuttle Three-cone drill Vertical jump Broad jump Bench press
6 ft 3 in
(1.91 m)		 248 lb
(112 kg)		 32+1⁄2 in
(0.83 m)		 9+3⁄8 in
(0.24 m)		 4.54 s 1.53 s 2.63 s 4.23 s 7.04 s 35.5 in
(0.90 m)		 10 ft 0 in
(3.05 m)		 22 reps
All values from NFL Combine/Pro Day[9][10][11]

Bonitto was selected by the Denver Broncos with the 64th pick in the second round of the 2022 NFL draft.[12] The Broncos used the selection previously obtained from the Los Angeles Rams in a trade for Von Miller.[13]

After starting the 2023 season as a backup, Bonitto started over Randy Gregory in the Week 4 matchup against the Chicago Bears. He recorded 2.5 sacks and a forced fumble that led to a scoop and score by Jonathon Cooper in the game.[14][15] Gregory was traded soon after and Bonitto was named the starter.

File:Bonitto 2025.png
Bonitto with the Denver Broncos in 2025

During the 2024 season, Bonitto became the first Broncos player to have double digit sacks since Von Miller and Bradley Chubb in 2018. In Week 13 on Monday Night Football against the Cleveland Browns, Bonitto intercepted a pass from Jameis Winston, returning it 70 yards for his first career touchdown.[16] Then two weeks later, Bonitto scored his second touchdown of the season on a 50-yard interception return against the Indianapolis Colts.[17] He finished the season with 13.5 sacks and as a result he made his first Pro Bowl appearance and made the 2nd team All-Pro.[18]

Bonitto was ranked 38th by his fellow NFL players on the Top 100 Players of 2025, his first appearance on the list.[19]

On September 4, 2025, Bonitto signed a four-year, $106 million extension (up to $120 million if incentives are met) with the Broncos, making him the highest-paid non-quarterback in Broncos history.[20] After recording 2.5 sacks in a Week 5 victory against the Philadelphia Eagles, Bonitto was named AFC Defensive Player of the Week.[21] In Week 13 against the Washington Commanders, Bonitto swatted away Marcus Mariota's two-point conversion pass attempt in overtime, which would've won Washington the game, to seal a 27–26 Broncos overtime victory.[22][23]

NFL career statistics

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Legend
Led the league
Bold Career high

Regular season

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Year Team Games Tackles Fumbles Interceptions
GP GS Cmb Solo Ast Sck TFL FF FR Yds TD PD Int Yds TD
2022 DEN 15 1 14 6 8 1.5 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
2023 DEN 15 4 30 23 7 8.0 13 1 0 0 0 2 0 0 0
2024 DEN 17 15 48 33 15 13.5 16 2 1 50 1 3 1 71 1
Career 47 20 92 62 30 23.0 30 4 1 50 1 5 1 71 1

Personal life

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Bonitto is of Cuban, Jamaican and Haitian descent.[24]

References

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