ENGLEWOOD – Broncos cornerback Pat Surtain II has greatly beefed up the size of his contract and perhaps soon also will the size of his car.

When he takes the field for Sunday’s opener at Seattle, Surtain will do so as the highest-paid defensive back in NFL history. That’s because on Wednesday he signed a four-year contract extension worth $96 million with $77.5 million guaranteed. Surtain had two years left on his contract, so the deal takes him through the 2029 season.

“It’s honestly surreal,’’ Surtain, entering his fourth season, said after a practice at Broncos Park. “It’s life changing, honestly, to be able to get this deal done so early in my career. … To be able to see that and to be able to have the deal done is a blessing. I’m relieved by it (and) I’m thinking about what I’m going to get first. First purchase coming up soon.”

Surtain laughed when he said that and added he might “have to get a new ride.” He said he now drives a “little Mercedes.”

Broncos safety JL Skinner didn’t exactly agree with Surtain’s description of his Mercedes, but he eagerly awaits what the cornerback soon will be driving.

“I can’t wait to see what he pulls up in, maybe a Porsche or a McLaren or something,’’ Skinner said. “I’m going to ask for a joyride.”

Meanwhile, Skinner doesn’t expect anything to change with Surtain’s play on the field, and called him the “best in the league” at cornerback.

Surtain has made the Pro Bowl in each of the past two seasons and was first-team All-Pro in 2022. On Wednesday, he also was named a team captain for the first time in his career.

Surtain’s new money average of $24 million per season makes him the highest-paid cornerback ever, topping Green Bay’s Jaire Alexander, who has an average of $21 million per season. It also is higher than the $21.025 million average of Tampa Bay safety Antoine Winfield Jr.

Surtain had been been under contract through 2025, with salary-cap numbers of $6.669 million this season and $19.802 million in 2025. Pro Football Talk reported that his cap numbers now will be $9.669 million in 2024, $8.37 million in 2025, $17.332 million in 2026, $29.7 million in both 2027 and 2028 and $30.7 million in 2029.

“It means a lot, for sure, in that margin,’’ Surtain said of becoming the highest-paid defensive back. “But at the end of the day, I just focus on doing the best I can do on the field. Being the best version of myself each and every day. I don’t try to allow the pressure to get to me, I build off of it and just play the game that I play and love doing.”

Surtain long has stated his desire to remain long term with the Broncos. He told The Denver Gazette in June that when he sees plaques of players in the Broncos’ Ring of Fame, it has made him “want to see my name up in the rafters.”

Surtain said Wednesday he’s “glad to be” in Denver for “for many years to come.”

Contract negotiations had heated up in the past week in order to get Surtain’s extension done before Sunday’s opener. Surtain said signing the deal was “like a huge burden off my shoulders” and that he feels “very relieved.”

“We had spent some time talking about it,’’ said Broncos coach Sean Payton. “I think both sides felt really good about the timing. We went ahead and did it. It’s securing a real young talented player that is at a position that’s hard to find.”

Payton announced Wednesday the cornerback being one of six captains voted upon by Denver players. Others named were rookie quarterback Bo Nix, wide receiver Courtland Sutton, guard Quinn Meinerz, linebacker Alex Singleton and kicker Wil Lutz.

“It means a lot,’’ Surtain said. “It’s a testament to how my teammates think of me as an individual. I’m ready to take on that captain role, and I’m looking forward to this year. Obviously, it’s my first year being a captain. I don’t take that role very lightly. … I’m honestly very grateful for it, and I can’t wait for the year to start.”

Surtain is the son of Patrick Surtain, a star NFL cornerback from 1998-2008 who made three Pro Bowls. He said his father was “very proud” to see him get the lucrative extension.

“He was very happy and ecstatic for me because just knowing how much this organization believes in me to be able to get that deal done,’’ Surtain said. “He knows the work I put in on daily, day in and day out. I feel like this moment is just as surreal for him as it was for me. Just having him by my side since I was yay high to where I’m at now is a blessing.”

Meanwhile, Surtain’s teammates continue to be thrilled playing with him.

“No one is more deserving,’’ Singleton said of the contract extension. “I’m super happy for him. I not surprised. I’m happy that it got done before the season, so he can play free, play the way he’s going to play football. Hopefully, I’m here for a lot of those years.’

Sutton also wasn’t surprised at Surtain becoming the NFL’s highest-paid defensive back.

“It was inevitable (he) was going to get that bag at some point because Pat is the best corner in the NFL,’’ Sutton said. “I don’t care what anybody says. … I watch Pat work every single day. … Week in and week out, he’s proven that he’s the best at what he does and I’m just happy for him. … Nothing’s going to change about him. He’s going to continue to be ‘Mr. Lockdown’, ‘Mr. Strapup’, however you want to call it.”

Well, one thing that might change is the size of the car.