 Bolles with theDenver Broncos in 2024 | |||||||
| No. 72 – Denver Broncos | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Position | Offensive tackle | ||||||
| Roster status | Active | ||||||
| Personal information | |||||||
| Born | (1992-05-27)May 27, 1992 (age 33) Walnut Creek, California, U.S. | ||||||
| Listed height | 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) | ||||||
| Listed weight | 300 lb (136 kg) | ||||||
| Career information | |||||||
| High school | Westlake (Saratoga Springs, Utah) | ||||||
| College | |||||||
| NFL draft | 2017: 1st round, 20th overall pick | ||||||
| Career history | |||||||
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| Awards and highlights | |||||||
| |||||||
| Career NFL statistics as of 2025 | |||||||
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Garett Bolles (born May 27, 1992) is an American professionalfootballoffensive tackle for theDenver Broncos of theNational Football League (NFL). He playedcollege football for theSnow College Badgers andUtah Utes. He was selected by the Broncos in the first round of the2017 NFL draft.
Bolles was born inWalnut Creek, California on May 27, 1992. His family moved toLehi, Utah.[1][2] After being kicked out of his father's home, Bolles was picked up by theFreeman family, and rebuilt his life by reactivating himself as a member ofthe Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.[3] He attendedWestlake High School inSaratoga Springs, Utah. Bolles played on the offensive and defensive lines in high school while also competing inlacrosse.[4] While at Westlake, Bolles was arrested and suspended for three games after he and four other players extensively vandalized rivalLehi High School's football field.[5]
Instead of playing college football straight out of high school, Bolles went on anLDS Church mission inColorado Springs, Colorado.[6][7]
Following his LDS Church mission, Bolles attended Snow College, where he played for the Badgers for two years before transferring to theUniversity of Utah in 2016.[8][9] Bolles earnedNJCAA first-teamAll-America honors following his sophomore season at Snow College, starting all 11 games played. He was named the 2015 Western State Football League Offensive Player of the Year in addition to picking up All-WSFL first-team honors. Bolles helped Snow College finish No. 2 in the NJCAA rankings after winning the WSFL championship and Salt City Bowl.[4]
Bolles signed with Utah as the No. 1 overall junior college prospect in 2016. Bolles was named to the All-Pac-12 Conference First-team in his only season with theUniversity of Utah after opening all 13 games played (891 total snaps) at left tackle.[4] He contributed to the Utes averaging close to 30 points per game and helped Utah's rushing offense rank third in the Pac-12 with 214.0 rushing yards per game. Bolles played on an offensive line that allowed just 2.1 sacks per game. After the season, Bolles decided to forgo his senior year and enter the2017 NFL draft.[10][11][12]
Bolles received an invitation to theNFL Combine as one of the top five offensive tackle prospects in the draft. He performed well and was able to raise his draft stock by showing athleticism in positional drills and having his 40-yard dash come under five seconds. Bolles completed every drill except for the bench press. He also participated at Utah'sPro Day and performed only positional drills for scouts and representatives in attendance. The majority of NFL Draft experts and analysts projected Bolles to be selected in either the first or second round.[13] He was ranked the second best offensive tackle byESPN and NFLDraftScout.com, was ranked the fourth best offensive tackle bySports Illustrated, and was ranked the third best offensive tackle by NFL analystsMike Mayock andBucky Brooks.[14][15][16][17]
| Height | Weight | Arm length | Hand span | Wingspan | 40-yard dash | 10-yard split | 20-yard split | 20-yard shuttle | Three-cone drill | Vertical jump | Broad jump | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) | 297 lb (135 kg) | 34 in (0.86 m) | 9+3⁄8 in (0.24 m) | 6 ft9+7⁄8 in (2.08 m) | 4.95 s | 1.71 s | 2.87 s | 4.55 s | 7.29 s | 28 in (0.71 m) | 9 ft 7 in (2.92 m) | |
| All values fromNFL Combine[18][19][20] | ||||||||||||
Bolles was selected by theDenver Broncos in the first round (20th overall) of the 2017 NFL Draft.[21] On May 11, 2017, Bolles signed a four-year, $11.01 million contract with $8.59 million guaranteed and a signing bonus of $6.16 million.[22][23] Bolles opened all 16 games at left tackle to represent just the fifth time in team history a rookie left tackle started every game since starting lineups were tracked beginning in 1968.[4] Bolles earned all-rookie honors from thePFWA, and was the sixth rookie to open the season at left tackle for the Broncos in Week 1.[24]
Bolles started all 16 games at left tackle in 2018.[25]
Bolles started all 16 games at left tackle in 2019 and played in all of Denver's offensive snaps. He was criticized publicly by general managerJohn Elway for repeatedly getting flagged for holding penalties, more than any other player in the NFL in his first three seasons in the league.[26]
On May 1, 2020, the Broncos declined the fifth-year option on Bolles' contract, making him a free agent in 2021.[27] On November 28, 2020, after improving greatly throughout the season, Bolles signed a four-year, $68 million contract extension with the Broncos.[28] On January 8, 2021, Bolles was named as the second-teamAll-Pro left tackle.[29]
Bolles appeared in and started 14 games in the 2021 season.[30]
In Week 5, Bolles suffered a broken leg and was placed on season-ending injured reserve on October 10, 2022.[31]
In the 2023 season, Bolles started in all 17 games.[32] He was also the Broncos' nominee for the 2023Walter Payton Man of the Year award.[33]
On December 12, 2024, the Broncos signed Bolles to a four-year, $82 million contract extension.[34] He started all 17 games in the 2024 season.[35]
In the 2025 season, Bolles lead all NFL tackles with a 90.7 pass blocking grade and earned his first career Pro Bowl invite.[36][37]
| Legend | |
|---|---|
| Bold | Career high |
| Year | Team | Games | Offense | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| GP | GS | Snaps | Pct | Holding | False start | Decl/Pen | Acpt/Pen | ||||
| 2017 | DEN | 16 | 16 | 1,106 | 98% | 7 | 4 | 3 | 12 | ||
| 2018 | DEN | 16 | 16 | 1,062 | 99% | 7 | 3 | 4 | 10 | ||
| 2019 | DEN | 16 | 16 | 1,015 | 100% | 6 | 2 | 7 | 10 | ||
| 2020 | DEN | 15 | 15 | 1,015 | 100% | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | ||
| 2021 | DEN | 14 | 14 | 870 | 99% | 3 | 1 | 3 | 6 | ||
| 2022 | DEN | 5 | 5 | 325 | 96% | 2 | 2 | 2 | 4 | ||
| 2023 | DEN | 17 | 17 | 1,072 | 100% | 4 | 3 | 0 | 8 | ||
| 2024 | DEN | 17 | 17 | 1,068 | 97% | 6 | 3 | 2 | 12 | ||
| 2025 | DEN | 17 | 17 | 1,125 | 99% | 2 | 3 | 2 | 6 | ||
| Career | 133 | 133 | 8,658 | 99% | 38 | 23 | 26 | 72 | |||
As a former troubled youth, Bolles has made an effort to assist and mentor juveniles involved in the justice system. He has been actively involved in juvenile probation and court mentorship programs inArapahoe County, and regularly attends court hearings and events at the Marvin W. Foote Youth Services Center. For his contributions, Bolles was awarded the Raymond C. Frenchmore Juvenile Law Award by the Arapahoe County Bar Association in June of 2023.[33]
Bolles has three children with his wife, Natalie: a son, Kingston, and two daughters Ariyah and Zaya. In 2021, his son was diagnosed withChildhood apraxia of speech (CAS), a speech disorder that causes difficulty speaking from a young age. Bolles himself grew up dealing withADHD.[38] To support children with learning disabilities, Bolles founded the GB3 Foundation, a non-profit focused on improving their education strategies, mental health, and physical wellbeing.[33] In August of 2025, Bolles and speech pathologist Jennie Bjorem opened the Bjorem & Bolles Apraxia Education Initiative training center, a facility made to assist educators and speech pathologists to diagnose and treat children with CAS.[39] Following this, Bolles was named theNFLPA Community MVP for Week 1 of the2025 NFL season.[40] Bolles was also the recipient of the 2026NFLPAAlan Page Community Award in recognition of his charity work.[41]
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