Garett Bolles Bio
Garett Bolles is an American professional football offensive tackle for the Denver Broncos of the National Football League (NFL). Born on May 27, 1992, in Walnut Creek, California, he had a challenging childhood that led him to strive for success in sports. He played college football for Snow College and the University of Utah before being selected by the Broncos in the first round of the 2017 NFL Draft. Bolles is known for his exceptional skills on the offensive line, as well as his dedication to mentoring youth through various community programs in the Denver area.
Early Life and Background
Garett Bolles was born in Walnut Creek, California on May 27, 1992, and later moved with his family to Lehi, Utah. After being kicked out of his father’s home, Bolles was taken in by the Freeman family and rebuilt his life by reengaging with the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. He attended Westlake High School in Saratoga Springs, Utah, where he played on both the offensive and defensive lines and also competed in lacrosse. During his high school years, Bolles was arrested and suspended for three games after he and four teammates vandalized a rival high school’s football field.
Instead of enrolling in college immediately after high school, Bolles served an LDS Church mission in Colorado Springs, Colorado. The mission gave him structure and discipline that helped shape the person he would become. Following his return, he pursued a college football career that eventually launched him toward the NFL.
Path to American Football
After his mission, Garett Bolles attended Snow College, where he played for the Badgers for two seasons before transferring to the University of Utah in 2016. He earned NJCAA first-team All-America honors following his sophomore season at Snow College, starting all 11 games he played. He was named the 2015 Western State Football League Offensive Player of the Year and helped Snow College finish No. 2 in the NJCAA rankings after winning the WSFL championship and the Salt City Bowl.
Bolles signed with Utah as the No. 1 overall junior college prospect in 2016. In his only season with the Utah Utes, he opened all 13 games at left tackle and earned First-team All-Pac-12 Conference recognition. He contributed to an offense that averaged close to 30 points per game and helped Utah’s rushing attack rank third in the Pac-12 with 214.0 rushing yards per game. After the season, Bolles decided to forgo his senior year and enter the 2017 NFL Draft.
Garett Bolles Career
Early Career (2017–2019)
Garett Bolles was selected by the Denver Broncos in the first round (20th overall) of the 2017 NFL Draft. On May 11, 2017, he signed a four-year, $11.01 million contract that included $8.59 million in guarantees and a signing bonus of $6.16 million. He opened all 16 games at left tackle as a rookie, becoming just the fifth rookie left tackle in team history to start every game since starting lineups were tracked in 1968. He earned PFWA All-Rookie Team honors for his performance.
Bolles started all 16 games at left tackle in both 2018 and 2019, and he played every offensive snap for Denver in 2019. Despite his durability, he was criticized publicly by general manager John Elway for repeatedly drawing holding penalties, leading the NFL in that category over his first three seasons. The early years showed flashes of high-level play mixed with growing pains that he would later overcome.
Denver Broncos Breakthrough (2020–2024)
On May 1, 2020, the Broncos declined the fifth-year option on Bolles’ contract, making him a free agent in 2021. He responded by improving greatly during the 2020 season, and on November 28, 2020, he signed a four-year, $68 million contract extension. On January 8, 2021, Bolles was named a Second-team All-Pro left tackle in recognition of his breakthrough campaign. He appeared in and started 14 games in the 2021 season.
Bolles suffered a broken leg in Week 5 of the 2022 season and was placed on season-ending injured reserve on October 10, 2022. He returned healthy in 2023 and started all 17 games while also serving as the Broncos’ nominee for the Walter Payton Man of the Year Award. On December 12, 2024, the Broncos signed Bolles to a four-year, $82 million contract extension. He started all 17 games in the 2024 season and continued to anchor the offensive line.
2025 Season and Pro Bowl Recognition
In the 2025 season, Garett Bolles led all NFL tackles with a 90.7 pass blocking grade and earned his first career Pro Bowl invitation. His pass protection helped stabilize the Broncos’ offensive line and provided crucial support for the team’s young quarterbacks and running backs. The performance marked the full arrival of Bolles as one of the league’s elite left tackles after years of steady improvement.
Driving Style and Strengths
Bolles is recognized for his quick feet, length, and finishing mentality in the run game, traits that have made him especially effective in pass protection. He combines athletic movement with a willingness to play through contact, and his pass blocking grade in 2025 reflected a refined understanding of angles and leverage. His durability, having started 133 career games through 2025, has been just as valuable as his physical tools for the Broncos.
Notable Events and Milestones
Bolles’ signature moments include his 20th overall selection in the 2017 NFL Draft, his 2020 Second-team All-Pro selection, and his first Pro Bowl nod in 2025. He has started every game he has played in across multiple seasons and signed two major contract extensions with Denver. His community work, which led to the 2026 NFLPA Alan Page Community Award, has become an equally important part of his legacy.
Garett Bolles Career Wins
Garett Bolles has built his reputation on consistency rather than headline statistics, anchoring the left side of the Broncos’ offensive line for nearly a decade. Through the 2025 season, he has played in and started 133 regular season games, providing stability at one of football’s most demanding positions.
Denver Broncos Highlights
Bolles has been a fixture at left tackle for the Denver Broncos since 2017, starting all available games in his rookie season and continuing that streak across multiple campaigns. He earned Second-team All-Pro honors for the 2020 season and added his first career Pro Bowl selection in 2025. He has also signed two major contract extensions with Denver, including a four-year, $82 million deal in December 2024.
Other Performances
Before reaching the NFL, Bolles starred at Snow College, where he was named the 2015 Western State Football League Offensive Player of the Year and earned NJCAA first-team All-America recognition. He then transferred to the University of Utah, where he was named First-team All-Pac-12 in his lone season. Those achievements established him as a premier offensive line prospect heading into the 2017 NFL Draft.
Garett Bolles Family
Family Background and Racing Lineage
Garett Bolles grew up in a household that experienced significant instability, and he was eventually taken in by the Freeman family after being kicked out of his father’s home. His reconnection with the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints played a central role in his personal development and his decision to serve an LDS mission in Colorado Springs. These formative experiences shaped his sense of responsibility and his later commitment to mentoring young people facing similar challenges.
Personal Life
Garett Bolles is married to Natalie Bolles, and the couple has three children: a son named Kingston and two daughters, Ariyah and Zaya. In 2021, his son was diagnosed with childhood apraxia of speech, a disorder that makes speaking difficult from a young age. Bolles himself grew up dealing with ADHD, which inspired him to found the GB3 Foundation, a non-profit focused on improving education strategies, mental health, and physical wellbeing for children with learning disabilities. In August 2025, he and speech pathologist Jennie Bjorem opened the Bjorem and Bolles Apraxia Education Initiative training center to help educators and speech pathologists diagnose and treat children with the condition.
2025 Season Performance
Garett Bolles entered the 2025 season fresh off a four-year, $82 million contract extension signed in December 2024. He started all 17 games at left tackle and led all NFL offensive tackles with a 90.7 pass blocking grade, the highest mark of his career. That performance earned him his first career Pro Bowl invitation and First-team All-Pro recognition.
Beyond his on-field production, Bolles remained a central figure in the Broncos’ community efforts. He was named the NFLPA Community MVP for Week 1 of the 2025 season and later received the 2026 NFLPA Alan Page Community Award in recognition of his charity work. The 2025 campaign represented a defining year in which his play and his off-field impact finally received league-wide recognition.
