Broncos Left Shocked After Pro Bowl Snub for $47 Million DE

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Denver Broncos defensive end Zach Allen.

Sometimes getting snubbed for a certain award or honor can serve as potent motivation for NFL players — a trigger to an even higher ceiling on the field.

Sometimes it just leaves everyone scratching their heads.

Denver Broncos defensive end Zach Allen being left off the AFC Pro Bowl roster landed in the head-scratching category after he was not one of three players at his position selected for the Pro Bowl Games.

Allen was left off off in favor of Cleveland Browns defensive end Myles Garrett, Cincinnati Bengals defensive end Trey Hendrickson and Las Vegas Raiders defensive end Maxx Crosby, who only played in 12 games in 2024 and has his lowest sack total (7.0 sacks) since 2020.

NFL.com’s Kevin Patra put Allen at No. 3 on his list of the Top 10 Pro Bowl snubs.

“Pressure is production — unless you’re voting for the Pro Bowl, apparently,” Patra wrote. “Allen has been a backfield menace this season, leading all interior defensive linemen with 65 QB pressures (ninth-most among all defenders). When an interior player is getting the kind of push Allen has provided this season, he wrecks games. The pocket-pusher has keyed Vance Joseph’s defense, eating up blockers and still producing; his 14 QB pressures when double-teamed are tied for fourth-most in the NFL. The 27-year-old sits third in sacks among all interior D-linemen with 8.5.”

While Allen was snubbed for the Pro Bowl, 3 of his teammates earned Pro Bowl nods; cornerback Patrick Surtain II, outside linebacker Nik Bonitto and return specialist Marvin Mims Jr.

The Broncos are currently 9-7 and can clinch their first playoff berth since the 2015 season with a win over the visiting Kansas City Chiefs in the Week 18 regular-season finale.

Broncos’ Investment in Allen Paid Off

Since the Broncos signed him to a 3-year, $47.75 million free-agent contract in March 2023, those in the know understand Allen has quietly been one of the NFL’s best at his position — not just in 2024.

In his first season in Denver in 2023, Allen started all 17 games and finished with 60 tackles, 5.0 sacks, 8 tackles for loss and 24 QB hits as one of the few bright spots in a year when the Broncos finished 8-9 and missed the playoffs for an eighth consecutive season.

Now, behind veterans like himself and Surtain and up-and-coming stars like Bonitto and cornerback Riley Moss, the Broncos have one of the league’s most stout defensive units

Allen Quietly Worked His Way Toward NFL Stardom

After earning All-ACC honors at Boston College in 2018, Allen was drafted in the third round (No. 65 overall) by the Arizona Cardinals in 2019.

Allen became a plug-and-play starter for the Cardinals as a rookie before a neck injury in Week 4 forced him to miss the rest of the season. Allen had the best season of his career in 2022 — the final season of his 4-year, $4.75 million rookie contract — with 47 tackles, 5.5 sacks, 10 TFL and 20 QB hits in just 13 games.

In Arizona, Allen also found a mentor in fellow defensive end and 3-time NFL Defensive Player of the Year J.J. Watt.

“I can really only speak highly about (Watt),” Allen told NFL.com after signing with the Broncos in 2023. “I think I was able to learn from him, obviously, and I’m very fortunate for that .. We had great on-field and off-field chemistry and I’m still picking his brain for ideas.”