LONDON — Nik Bonitto didn’t need to go back to Florida this week to be a returning hero. 

With the Broncos in London in preparation for Sunday’s game against the New York Jets at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, the star outside linebacker didn’t have to travel far to see his old Fort Lauderdale high school team play at the same venue. St. Thomas Aquinas came to London for a game Wednesday night against the NFL Academy, and Bonitto went to watch. 

“It was dope,’’ Bonitto said after a practice Thursday at Tottenham Training Ground in suburban Enfield. “Just going back there, obviously, (the players are) a lot younger than me, and I knew a couple of them just off the bigger names and stuff like that. But it was just kind of fun seeing how much of an impact I still have. A lot of the teachers still tell stories about me.” 

The trip by St. Thomas Aquinas for its 41-38 win was arranged by the NFL to face the NFL Academy, which is at England’s Loughborough University. It is an elite football developmental program for student-athletes from around the world. 

Bonitto starred for the Raiders before graduating in 2018 and going on to play at Oklahoma before joining the Broncos in 2022. Roger Harriott, who remains the coach at St. Thomas Aquinas from Bonitto’s playing days, told The Denver Gazette the sack artist talked to some coaches, players, and parents individually at Wednesday’s game. 

“He provided some insight and support that I was able to share with the team,” Harriott said. “We expressed our appreciation for his presence. … He’s a type of role model and character our world needs to help heal and improve what we have going on here. On a global standpoint, we need more leaders and positive influential role models like Nik.” 

In talking to players, the religious Bonitto said he stressed football and faith. He said those are things Harriott is “trying to instill” in his players that are “really important.” 

As far as football goes, there are few players in the NFL performing as well as Bonitto has so far this season. He leads the NFL with seven sacks and was thrilled on Wednesday to be named AFC defensive player of the week for having 2.5 in last Sunday’s 21-17 upset at Philadelphia. 

“It was pretty dope, finally being able to get one,’’ Bonitto said of winning the first such award in his four-year NFL career. “Obviously, there’s a lot of great defenders in the league.” 

Many of them aren’t as humble as Bonitto, who is being touted as a candidate for NFL Defensive Player of the Year. Vance Joseph, the Broncos defensive coordinator who took over in Bonitto’s second season of 2023, touched Thursday upon that aspect of him. 

“He’s been that way since I’ve known him,’’ Joseph said. “He hasn’t changed. You can’t tell after a game if he’s gotten two sacks or none.” 

OK, perhaps there are limits to Bonitto’s humility. He talked Thursday about wanting one day to be inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame. 

“There’s more out there for me,’’ Bonitto said. “I never shied away from, even in pre-draft meetings, just telling (general managers) and stuff like that, the main goal one day is obviously to be a Super Bowl champion, and one day just have a gold jacket around my arm. I always had aspirations of that since I was a kid. Obviously, the stuff that I have (been doing) has been really good, but I always want to keep getting better and better to eventually reach that type of goal.” 

Such talk might have sounded absurd when Bonitto, after being a second-round pick in 2022, had just 1.5 sacks as rookie. But he improved to eight in 2023 and had a breakout season with 13.5 in 2024. 

This season, Bonitto has been wreaking havoc. He has 1.5 sacks or more in each of the past three games, and the only player in Denver history to have had as many sacks in the first five games was Elvis Dumervil with eight in 2009. 

“I don’t think I’ve ever seen that recently,’’ Broncos defensive end Zach Allen said of the tear Bonitto has been on. “Everybody knows how special of a talent he is. He’s only getting smarter and more athletic and stronger, so he’s a stud. And when he gets one-on-ones he’s winning them. It’s been awesome to see and he’s such a great guy. And to have a guy like that have success, it’s been tremendous.” 

Bonitto recently told The Denver Gazette it’s “very reasonable” he could break Von Miller’s 2012 team record of 18.5 sacks. Bonitto is on pace for 24 sacks, which would break the NFL record of 22.5. 

“I always watched Von growing up and just seeing where he was at,’’ Bonitto said. “To kind of like be like, ‘Dang, like one day maybe I can be in those shoes.’ It’d be pretty cool.’’ 

Bonitto, 26, started watching Miller play around the 2015 AFC Championship Game, when the Broncos defeated New England 20-18 and then won Super Bowl 50. Miller against Tom Brady’s Patriots had 2.5 sacks and an interception. 

“I’m just going crazy,’’ Bonitto said. “I’m like, ‘Darn, Von’s the GOAT, bro.’ There’s so many special moments he had in his career that I remember watching as a young kid. I was kind of an honorary Broncos fan. Every Sunday, I’m trying to go watch him play, trying to see what he’s doing. I didn’t have an NFL team growing up, so I was just watching him a lot.” 

Now, Bonitto is back in London for the first time since the Broncos defeated Jacksonville 21-17 on Oct. 30, 2022. Bonitto in that game had the first solo sack of his career and the only one of his rookie year. 

“It was a really cool moment,’’ he said. “I had like a counter spin outside (move) and was able to get the strip sack (of Trevor Lawrence, with the Jaguars recovering the fumble). After that, it kind of just went blank. I was celebrating so hard and stuff. That is kind of crazy. It’s like a full circle moment for sure.” 

Bonitto came off the bench in that game. Now he’s a full-fledged star. 

Before the start of the season, Bonitto signed a marketing deal with Nike and a four-year- $106 million contract extension that will take him through 2029. The way he’s playing now, that looks like a bargain. 

“It really is not Nik’s priority to be able to play at a high level to reap the financial benefits,’’ said Harriott, saying money hasn’t changed Bonitto in the slightest. “I told him (Wednesday) how proud I was of him that he is continuing to have success. But what’s more impressive is he’s allowed the focus to be on his spiritual development and setting the right example for others. And I talked to him about really using his influence and platform to help improve our world.” 

Bonitto has the platform now to try and do that. He provided inspiration to those from his former high school Wednesday in London, and he will be back at the same stadium Sunday to show how far he has come.