While they're still debating between Jarrett Stidham or rookie Bo Nix as their starting quarterback, the Denver Broncos invested in keeping him upright and safe by giving one of the NFL's best young offensive linemen a raise.

Based on reports, Quinn Meinerz and the Broncos have agreed to terms on a four-year, $80 million extension. The deal includes $45 million in guarantees, per Adam Schefter of ESPN.

Meinerz, a 2021 NFL Draft third-round draft pick from the University of Wisconsin–Whitewater, was headed into the final season of his rookie deal with a $3.36 million base salary due. Denver general manager George Paton decided to lock up the 25-year-old before training camp with a contract that puts him among the highest-paid guards in the league.

Why the Broncos believe in Quinn Meinerz

The Broncos selected Meinerz with their 98th overall selection in the third round of the 2021 NFL Draft out of Wisconsin-Whitewater. With his senior year of college canceled because of COVID, he worked out in the woods by knocking trees over and doing whatever he could to work out and stay in shape. After Meinerz received an invite to the Reese’s Senior Bowl, he quickly became one of the standouts of that week. He used that momentum to vault himself into a third-round selection by Denver a few months later in the draft.

In 2023, Meinerz garnered an 83.7 overall grade from Pro Football Focus (PFF), a high honor in only three seasons of action. Meinerz's grade ranked third among NFL guards behind only the Atlanta Falcons' Chris Lindstrom (87.7) and the Los Angeles Rams' Kevin Dotson (84.4).

Through three seasons, Meinerz has played 45 games with 39 starts, improving yearly. He started all 17 games last season at right guard, allowing two sacks and dominating foes in the running game, as evidenced by his 88.7 PFF grade in run blocking.

“I thought he had a really good year,” Broncos head coach Sean Payton said about Meinerz in June. “I remember when he came out [of college], and when a player [went] to the AFC, maybe you lose track a little bit. I thought he played exceptionally well. Certainly, he’s a powerful, sticky run blocker. He does a lot of things extremely well. I think he loves it. He loves the process, which is half the battle. So I love that he’s our right guard.”

After shelling out a combined $139 million for right tackle Mike McGlinchey and left guard Ben Powers while paying Garett Bolles top-ten left tackle money, the Broncos now have one of the NFL's most expensive offensive lines. Regardless of the price tag, they will need this unit to dominate this upcoming season to help their run game and protect Nix, who will likely start as a rookie. The team has spent a lot of money on their offensive line, so hopefully, we see some results from them this upcoming season.