Pat Surtain II Reflects on Pro Bowl, Defensive Goals for 2025

ORLANDO, Fla. — Denver Broncos cornerback Pat Surtain II is embracing his third consecutive Pro Bowl appearance, emphasizing the importance of celebrating achievements while connecting with peers. Surtain, a 2024 All-Pro selection, is set to participate in Sunday’s Pro Bowl Games at Camping World Stadium, where he will compete in the flag-football finale.

“I think it’s important to celebrate your accolades,” Surtain said during an appearance on FanDuel TV’s “Up and Adams.” “You need to celebrate the season you had. Have a good time here with the activities they have lined up for us, but also enjoy time to really talk football amongst your peers, amongst the best around the league.”

Surtain’s 2024 season was a standout, earning him recognition on both the Associated Press and Pro Football Writers of America All-Pro teams. He is also a finalist for the NFL Defensive Player of the Year award, which will be announced at the NFL Honors program on Thursday night in New Orleans.

“I thought about it a lot,” Surtain said of the Defensive Player of the Year award. “Honestly, it’s such a surreal feeling to be mentioned amongst your peers in that way. Holding that trophy would be such a huge honor because not only would it be an honorable trophy, but I’ll be back in New Orleans where most of my family is from.”

Despite his individual success, Surtain is focused on improvement. After the Broncos’ playoff loss on Jan. 12, he highlighted areas for growth during his end-of-season press conference. “It’s always things I could improve on,” he said. “Whether it’s getting stronger, getting faster, getting quicker, little things like that, little nuances throughout my game that I could work on.”

The Broncos’ defensive turnaround in 2024 was a key factor in their 10-7 record and first playoff appearance since 2015. Denver finished third in scoring defense, a significant improvement from their 27th-place ranking in 2023. “Defensively, we set a standard for ourselves,” Surtain said. “We went out there and proved it each and every week. That is very fundamental to our success.”

Surtain also expressed optimism about the team’s future, noting the young talent on the roster. “This was Year 1 with a new group, and I’m excited for the future,” he said. “We’ve got a lot of young pieces that’s going to build and mature and grow in their game as well.”

The Pro Bowl Games, which began Thursday, feature 10 skills competitions leading up to Sunday’s flag-football game. Surtain is scheduled to participate in the finale, which will air on ABC and ESPN at 2 p.m. CST.

“Reaching that stage, I think, is a huge accomplishment for us as a team,” Surtain said of the Broncos’ playoff run. “We exceeded a lot of people’s expectations, but we knew what type of team we had going into the year. We were young, hungry, and determined to reach that point in the season.”

With six of their seven losses coming by seven or fewer points, Surtain believes the Broncos are close to becoming a championship contender. “A lot of those losses were one-score games, close games,” he said. “Good teams find a way to finish at the end of the day. That’s where we need to get to because we’ve got the talent.”