Darian Stewart, Broncos Agree on New Contract: Latest Details and Reaction

The Denver Broncos locked up a member of their defensive core Saturday, agreeing to a four-year, $28 million deal with safety Darian Stewart.

Mike Klis of 9News and NFL Network's Ian Rapoport reported the news. The structure of the contract, including guaranteed money, is undisclosed at this time.

Stewart, 28, was due to become an unrestricted free agent this offseason. 

In his second season with the Broncos, he has posted 44 tackles and a career-high three interceptions, matching the total he had during his first six NFL seasons. Two of those picks came in a Week 10 win over the New Orleans Saints that saw Stewart force three total turnovers. He was the first Broncos player since 2001 to pull off that feat. 

"During the game, you could see he was near the ball," safety Will Parks said after the game, per Aric DiLalla of the Broncos' official website. "When the ball was in the air, he was always around it. Stew does that day in and day out, and he’s playing at a Pro Bowl level right now."

Klis reported the Broncos and Stewart were engaged in contract negotiations before his breakout game. Pro Football Focus ranked Stewart as the No. 10 safety in the NFL through the season's first 11 weeks, and he's become one of the more well-rounded players at his position.

That's a far cry from the replacement-level reputation Stewart had when he signed in Denver. His average annual salary will more than triple from his current contract, which paid him $4.25 million over two years. Stewart earned $8.62 million total over his first seven NFL seasons and will make $7 million a year over the next four.

It's safe to say he's in an entirely different tax bracket now. 

Moreover, it's safe to say the Broncos saw Stewart's production and wanted to get him locked up now before he hit the open market. He easily could have priced himself out of the cap-strapped Broncos' range had he angled for free agency. But Stewart found success he never came close to with the Baltimore Ravens or then-St. Louis Rams; this is a marriage both sides saw the advantage in keeping together. 

Follow Tyler Conway (@jtylerconway) on Twitter.