Broncos elder statesman Garett Bolles had never made a Pro Bowl in his eight previous seasons in Denver, and so Natalie Bolles took matters into her own hands on Dec. 7, when her husband still hadn’t received his Pro Bowl graphic.
“Repost to vote!” she tweeted — with a custom-made graphic of Bolles lying spread-eagled in the end zone after a near-touchdown in Week 7.
Two weeks later, it’s no joke: the 33-year-old Bolles is a Pro Bowl starter at tackle for the first time in his NFL career.
He was officially minted Tuesday, along with five other Broncos, as the NFL unveiled the rosters for the 2026 Pro Bowl Games in San Francisco.
“It’s a pretty special moment,” Bolles said. “I’m the type of guy that, I work in the shadow.s That’s how I’ve been like my whole life. I’ve always been doubted. … To be able to be appreciated with this organization that I love dearly and the work that I put in. This award, I have great guys next to me. … Just my teammates in general and this organization, they’ve given me so much, so I couldn’t do it without them.”
Denver outside linebacker Nik Bonitto, cornerback Pat Surtain II and guard Quinn Meinerz were also named starters at their respective positions. Wide receiver Courtland Sutton and interior defensive lineman Zach Allen were also named as Pro Bowl reserves.
“You love being able to call players and give them that news,” Payton said. “In the team meeting we recognized them all. And then I told them how their union and the management council screwed it all up because that used to be a pretty good game in Hawaii and now we’re doing sack races and that other stuff.”
The Broncos tied the Seattle Seahawks, the San Francisco 49ers and the Baltimore Ravens for the most Pro Bowl selections of any NFL team.
In addition to Bolles, both Meinerz and Allen were named Pro Bowlers for the first time in their careers, missing out in 2024 despite both being named All-Pros.
Payton told each of Meinerz and Allen a year ago that relatively young players sometimes don’t get individual accolades like Pro Bowl nods until a year after they actually deserve it. That turned out to be true for both.
“I kind of understood after last year what the Pro Bowl is and what it’s kind of become in this modern era where it’s become a little bit of a popularity contest,” Meinerz said. “So Sean gave me his advice with that, (offensive line coach Zach) Strief gave me his advice with that. It definitely did bother me a little bit (last year) but I let it pass by and it’ll take care of itself if I keep playing good football week in and week out. …
“It’s cool, I’m definitely going to enjoy it, but we’ve got bigger things going on right now.”
Meinerz has started all 15 games at right guard for Denver and ranks seventh among all interior offensive linemen in ESPN’s run-block win rate. Allen leads the NFL with 43 quarterback hits, becoming the second player in NFL history (along with former Arizona Cardinals teammate J.J. Watt) to record 40 QB hits in back-to-back seasons.Bolles, meanwhile, is authoring a strong case for the NFL’s inaugural Protector of the Year Award, allowing just 17 pressures in 639 pass-blocking snaps this year, according to Pro Football Focus.
“He called it at the beginning of the year,” quarterback Bo Nix said Tuesday. “We talked about how he was going to be a dominant player this year and you’re not voted on to go to the Pro Bowl without having a dominant year.”
Bonitto has put together another standout season rushing the passer from the edge, currently sitting tied for fifth in the NFL in sacks with 12.5. Sutton has earned his first Pro Bowl nod since 2018 — the second season of his NFL career — with 69 catches and 972 receiving yards as quarterback Bo Nix’s first option in 2025.
Despite missing three games midseason with a torn pec, the 25-year-old Surtain’s trophy case only continues to grow, with his fourth straight Pro Bowl nod in just five NFL seasons. Surtain has racked up 39 tackles and 12 passes defended in 12 games.
Meinerz said Tuesday he thinks Denver has more than six worthy Pro Bowlers. Surtain said safety Talanoa Hufanga “definitely got snubbed” and called him one of the “unsung heroes” of the Broncos’ defense. Hufanga has already crossed the 100-tackle mark in his first season with Denver and, according to a source, is a fourth alternate for the AFC.
Hufanga is just the second player in Broncos history to have 100-plus tackles, 10-plus passes defended and multiple sacks in a single season, joining linebacker Danny Trevathen in 2013.
Denver has several other alternates in addition to Hufanga, according to multiple sources. The list includes:
First alternate: ST Devon Key
Second alternates: QB Bo Nix and OLB Jonathon Cooper
Third alternates: FB Adam Prentice, ILB Alex Singleton and returner Marvin Mims, Jr.