The Denver Broncos‘ 2024 season was something fans have been awaiting for quite some time. They finally snapped the longest playoff drought all-time following a Super Bowl victory, while Bo Nix became one of two rookie quarterbacks ever to win 10 games, account for 4,000 total yards and score 30 touchdowns in a season. The Broncos defense was also one of the most aggressive in the league, as they ranked top four in sacks (63), pressure percentage (40%) and blitz percentage (37%).
Denver’s defense and the rookie quarterback were the main storylines to come from the Broncos’ 2024 season, but the Broncos also had one of the best offensive lines in 2024. The top player on Denver’s offensive line was left tackle Garett Bolles, who came in at No. 74 on Pete Prisco’s top 100 players of 2025 rankings. He has established himself as one of the best pass-blocking tackles in the NFL, and registered an 88.4 PFF pass-blocking grade in 2024, which ranked fifth among 140 tackles.
This past season was Bolles’ first winning season of his eight-year career. The Broncos are the only team he’s played for, and he’s now reaping the benefits of his loyalty.
“I care more about legacy, and when you leave your legacy, you invent something that nobody can take away from you,” Bolles told CBS Sports this week. “Obviously that just speaks volumes to what type of player I am, who’s willing to adjust my game and adjust the way I handle myself in the locker room and the community throughout these years to stay here. It hasn’t been an easy place to be here, but I’m so grateful I stuck it out …”
“Being here in Denver. This is home. This is where my wife wants to be, my kids want to be, we have so many great friends here and putting Denver back on the map to where it belongs has always been a dream of mine. To be able to be there leading the pack has been a great experience for me and I’m beyond grateful to see the success happening…”
Bolles spoke glowingly about coach Sean Payton, who Denver traded for in 2023. He credited him for being the facilitator when it came to the Broncos’ surprising 10-7 campaign.
“I don’t think there’s a more competitive person out there besides probably Michael Jordan (compared) to Coach Payton because he’s just that type of guy,” said Bolles. “He expects so much out of us but also knows how to bring us in and to love us and to cherish us and put us in the best position to win.
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“When we had a rookie quarterback with a bunch of new guys and an O-Line that was coming off its second season playing together, nobody believed in us besides ourselves. We’re gonna be really good this year because of the teammates that I have in our locker room and the leadership that we have with Bo and with coach Payton and coach (Zach) Strief. The sky is the limit for us…”
The Broncos’ breakout season didn’t start that way. Denver lost its first two games and struggled mightily. While the Broncos did get back to .500 in Week 4, their second win came via a 10-9 victory over the New York Jets that was arguably the most unpalatable game of the entire 2024 season.
In that matchup, Nix completed 7 of 15 passes for -7 yards in the first half, and registered five straight completions that did not gain positive yardage. However, it was around this time that Bolles points to as the turning point for the season — because of something Denver did regarding its travel schedule. According to ESPN, the Broncos requested two straight games on the East coast so they could experience some team-bonding time at a resort in West Virginia. According to Bolles, that decision paid immediate dividends.
“When we went on the two-game road streak where we had to go to Tampa and then spent a week at The Greenbrier in West Virginia and then ended up playing the Jets in the rainy game where we had to ground and pound the ball to win that game,” Bolles replied when asked about the moment it clicked for the Broncos. “But spending that quality time with your teammates and our organization and our coaching staff where you’re away from our families and just really having a bonding experience is what I think was the turning point for our season.
“We ended up winning two games — going into Tampa and nobody thought we were gonna do what we needed to do and we handled business, and then going up for the week in the woods and spending time with each other in a very rural area, where there’s not a lot of things to do besides just hanging out with each other, and that’s what we did. Our team is so close, man. From the rookies to the veteran players to the old guy like me. It’s just awesome to be able to be that voice for my teammates and for this organization. We’re right at the tip of the iceberg, and we’re not quite sure what’s going to come our way but we’re ready to embrace any challenge and any obstacle that we need to face to get back to where we want.”
The player Bolles blocks for is the main reason why there’s new optimism in Denver. Nix became the first rookie quarterback to start a playoff game in Broncos history, and ranks second all-time among rookies in passing touchdowns (29), and third in total touchdowns (34). He also recorded the lowest percentage of plays with a sack, fumble or interception for a rookie quarterback since 1970 (5.7%).
“Well one, I learned that nothing fazes the kid, and two, I learned that this dude is a freak,” Bolles said about Nix. “His running ability, number one, he’s faster than anyone thinks that he is, and then number two, the way he reads defenses and puts the ball in places where only our receivers can get it. That Cincinnati game, where he threw the ball deep to Marvin Mims and Marvin Mims went and got it, and it was like a 60-plus yard throw. Which was the longest throw I think last year in the air for a quarterback.
“That’s just the type he is. Nothing fazes him. It doesn’t matter if it’s the lowest moments or the highest moments. It doesn’t matter what stress level it is or if the stadium is loud. This dude is so collected. He has that face where when he steps on that football field it changes for him, and he turns into somebody that … I don’t even know if he knows. But it’s been really cool to see the growth and the maturity level of him…
“I’m just beyond grateful to block for a quarterback that loves football, that loves this city and is gonna put us in the best situation to get back to where we are and that’s deep in the playoffs.”
When we asked Bolles what the Broncos need to do to win the Super Bowl in 2026, he didn’t talk about Nix taking another step forward as a playmaker or a weapon like Evan Engram making an immediate impact. He brought it back to his own position group.
The Broncos win the Super Bowl if…?
“If the O-Line takes care of business,” Bolles responded.
Bolles, who has family who served and is an advocate for supporting our veterans, joined volunteers from military focused organizations Team Rubicon and USAA at Eagles Nest Ranch, a non-profit organization that provides equine-assisted therapy and life support for military members, first responders and their families, to set up a defensive zone around the property to mitigate wildfires and help spread awareness of wildfire prevention in Denver.
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Author: Jordan Dajani
June 25, 2025 | 12:40 pm
