Denver Broncos cornerback Patrick Surtain II has carved out a standout NFL career of his own while continuing a strong family legacy at the position. He isn’t the only accomplished cornerback in the Surtain household.
His father, Patrick Surtain, enjoyed an 11-year NFL career, recording 37 interceptions in 163 games, earning three Pro Bowl selections, and was named to the All-Pro first team in 2002. Surtain Sr. starred with the Miami Dolphins from 1998 to 2004 before finishing his career with the Kansas City Chiefs from 2005 to 2008.
More on Pat Surtain II’s Father
Surtain II attended American Heritage School in Plantation, Florida, where he was coached by his father, Patrick Surtain. That close relationship played a major role in his development, with his father serving as a constant mentor throughout his football journey.
A five-star recruit coming out of high school, Surtain II committed to play college football at the Alabama Crimson Tide in 2018. He made an immediate impact as a true freshman, starting 12 games and finishing the season with 37 tackles and one interception. His role expanded in 2019, when he posted 42 tackles, three forced fumbles, eight pass breakups, two interceptions, a fumble recovery, and a quarterback pressure.
Surtain II returned as a full-time starter again in 2020 and entered the season with multiple preseason All-American honors. He capped his Alabama career by earning Defensive MVP honors in the 2021 Rose Bowl and contributing to a national championship during his final season with the Crimson Tide.
“I went to the majority of [my dad’s] games,” Surtain II said about his father three years ago. “It was a great experience being out there, watching him play, getting the full experience of the NFL. And that helped me choose football at the end of the day, ’cause I felt like I had a sort of love for it at an early age.”
“He had an established career, a great career, actually — three-time Pro Bowler, was a part of one of the great Miami defensive squads back in the day,” Surtain II says. “Just watching him play, his confidence, his swagger, I feel like he brought that down upon me — just teaching me the different levels of the cornerback position.”
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The Broncos selected Surtain II with the ninth overall pick in the 2021 NFL Draft. On May 18, 2021, he signed his four-year rookie contract with Denver, worth $20.9 million.
Since then, Surtain II has emerged as arguably the best cornerback in the league. He won the Defensive Player of the Year award in the 2024 NFL season, has made the Pro Bowl four times, and has been a part of the All-Pro teams three times in his career.
In September 2024, the Broncos star signed a four-year, $96 million contract extension, including $77.5 million in guaranteed money. So far in his career, Surtain II has made $58,133,938.
According to PFSN’s CB Impact metric, Surtain II ranked fifth among cornerbacks based on the performance this past season.
Denver Broncos’ Stats and Insights for Divisional Round
Playoff: Sean Payton is making his 11th postseason appearance as a head coach. He’s 9-9 and won the Super Bowl with the Saints in 2009. This is the third time Payton has earned the top seed, having achieved this in 2009 and 2018 with the New Orleans Saints and now with the Denver Broncos. In 2018, his Saints lost to the Los Angeles Rams in the NFC Championship game.
Team: Denver played in 13 one-score games, one shy of the NFL record. Denver went 11-2 in those games, including 5-0 at home. Every road game was a one-score game. The next Denver trip would be for the Super Bowl.
QB: Bo Nix had a QBi score of 69.9 (D+) in last season’s Wild Card game in Buffalo. Nix completed his first two passes, including a 43-yard touchdown to give the Broncos a 7-0 lead over the Bills. Nix would complete only 11 of 20 passes for 82 yards the rest of the way as the Broncos lost 31-7.
OFF: Denver recorded a PFSN’s Offense Impact Metric (OFFi) of 75.9 (C) for the second straight season. In Payton’s first year, the Broncos finished with a 67.0 (D+) OFFi.
DEF: The Broncos led the league in PFSN’s Defense Impact (DEFi) this season and posted the eighth-best DEFi since 2000. It’s the second straight year Denver led the league in DEFi.
