Wisconsin high school football standout inks major contract extension with Broncos

Former Wisconsin high school football standout Quinn Meinerz signed a four-year, $80 million contract extension with the Denver Broncos on Tuesday, according to ESPN’s Adam Schefter.

Despite not playing for the Badgers during his collegiate tenure, Meinerz made the jump to the collegiate scene after an impressive athletic career at Hartford Union High School in Hartford, Wisconsin.

Outside the gridiron, Meinerz was a talented athlete in track and field and wrestling. In football, the 6-foot-3, 320-pounder earned an honorable mention all-state nod as both an offensive and defensive lineman during his senior season.

Meinerz played college football at Wisconsin-Whitewater from 2017-2019. After playing just two games his freshman season, the guard started 29 of his next 31 appearances and pocketed All-Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference, Associated Press and American Football Coaches Association first-team honors after a stellar junior season in 2019.

The Broncos selected Meinerz with the 98th pick of the 2021 NFL draft, making him the highest-drafted player in Wisconsin-Whitewater history.

Over the last three seasons, Meinerz has started 39 games, including 30 straight dating to the start of Denver’s 2022 season. During his second year in the NFL, the Hartford native allowed three sacks on 479 pass-blocking snaps.

The contract extension is a significant vote of confidence in Meinerz from Broncos’ brass. He becomes the third highest-paid active guard by annual salary behind the Eagles’ Landon Dickerson and the Falcons’ Chris Lindstrom.