Fresh off his best game of the season, Darian Stewart has secured a future in the Rockies.
The Broncos safety signed a four-year extension Saturday, the team announced. The deal is worth up to $30 million with a $28 million base salary and $17.5 million in guarantees, NFL Network Insider Ian Rapoport reported. Stewart's $7 million per year average is quite a raise from the $2.13 million per year average he garnered from his first contract with the Broncos.
Set to be an unrestricted free agent after this season, Stewart is now under contract in Denver through 2020.
In his second season in Denver, Stewart has thrived in the Broncos' All-Pro secondary with Aqib Talib, Chris Harris and T.J. Ward. The 28-year-old safety has started all 10 of Denver's games, is on pace to have a career-high in tackles and has already tallied a career-high three interceptions, two of which came off Drew Brees in the Broncos' Week 10 win over the Saints.
This isn't the first time that John Elway and the Broncos brass have locked up a key defensive cog in the middle of the season. Denver signed defensive end Derek Wolfe to a similar below-market-rate extension last season while he was in the middle of a breakout year. The midseason move allowed the Broncos to save up cap room for their massive signing of Von Miller and gave them enough flexibility to let Brock Osweiler walk.
Elway is building a resume of shrewd moves, further cementing himself as a top-five executive in this league, and is giving the Broncos fan base every reason to trust his decision-making.
