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Pat Surtain II wins AP NFL Defensive Player of the Year

1918632_10206777287683070_1367905321192383146_nby:Charlie Potter•about 10 hours•

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Pat Surtain II
Pat Surtain II (Isaiah J. Downing / Imagn Images)

Denver Broncos cornerback Pat Surtain II won the 2024 Associated Press NFL Defensive Player of the Year on Thursday night. The former Alabama All-American received the award at the 14th annual NFL Honors ceremony in New Orleans ahead of Super Bowl LIX.

“Wow,” said after Surtain winning the award. “First and foremost, I wanna give all the praise to my Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. I mean, without him, I wouldn’t be in this position, first off. Secondly, I’d like to thank my family – mom, pops – for setting the blueprint. Turning a young man into a grown man. I wanna thank you.

“I’d also like to thank the Broncos organization for believing in me, for trusting in me, for allowing me to grow and be the player that I am today. And lastly, I’d like to thank my teammates for helping me reach my full potential and being the best person I can be, man. So thank y’all. Have a blessed one.”

The first Alabama player to win AP Defensive Player of the Year, Surtain is just the second Bronco to receive the NFL’s top defensive honor, joining Randy Gradishar (1978). Surtain is also the first cornerback to earn the defensive award since Stephon Gilmore in 2019. 

In Year 4 in the NFL, Surtain intercepted four passes and defended 11 in the 2024-25 season. A closer look at his stats, courtesy of DenverBroncos.com, shows just how dominant he was.

“Among cornerbacks with at least 400 coverage snaps, Surtain ranked first in fewest yards allowed (306), fewest yards allowed per coverage snap (0.6), lowest target rate (10.9 percent) and fewest air yards per target (7.1), according to Next Gen Stats.

“In 92 coverage snaps against Pro Bowlers Ja’Marr Chase, Travis Kelce, Brock Bowers, Zay Flowers and Jerry Jeudy, Surtain allowed just six receptions for 52 yards and an 8.3 passer rating on 16 targets. Surtain also recorded a pair of interceptions and did not allow a touchdown.”

Denver selected Surtain with the ninth overall pick in the 2021 NFL Draft out of Alabama. In his final year in Tuscaloosa in 2020, Surtain was named the SEC’s Defensive Player of the Year by both the AP and league coaches as well as unanimous first-team All-American.

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