Pat Surtain II Is Elevating the Surtain Legacy With Unshakable Confidence
Pat Surtain II redefines his family legacy through his authentic purpose, clean style, and quiet confidence. Now fueling Denver’s 13-3 AFC-topping defense and West title as playoffs loom. Pat Surtain II steps beyond his Pro Bowl father’s shadow, chasing personal growth over legacy while channeling on-field poise into versatile, classic staple pieces. He envisions football, style, and philanthropy converging to uplift the next generation, revealing a relaxed, cozy side amid Denver’s playoff push. Capturing Pat’s classic confidence and elegance in an upscale private library estate in Colorado.
FEATURE INTERVIEW:
Growing up watching your dad as a Pro Bowl corner and now being a Defensive Player of the Year yourself, when did it first feel like you weren’t just following a path but actively rewriting what “Surtain” means in the league?
Well, when I first got into the league, I wanted to make sure that I wasn’t chasing just legacy, but chasing my goals and my aspirations, and I wanted to prove myself right each and every year by being the best person and player that I could be. Obviously, my dad paved a great way, but for me, it was all about becoming the best version of myself consistently each and every day.
As a second-generation star, what parts of your father’s mindset did you intentionally keep, and what did you have to unlearn to become Pat Surtain II and not just “Big Pat’s Son”?
Growing up. A lot of the mindset factors into just what he instilled into me growing up to always be sharp, always be confident, no matter what you do. And always took that with me, further on along my career and in my endeavors. So I think mentally, that’s what shaped me to become the person I am today, and obviously the hard lessons that I learned from him as well, too. But for me, I have to step out of that factor of being sheltered under that and go and find you know, my ground, my purpose and stuff like that. Because everybody has their own purposes, and I had to make sure that with me, that I am following my right purpose intentionally.
You’ve called your style clean, confident, and versatile. What does a “Pat Surtain II wardrobe” say before you even speak, and how does that connect to the way you carry yourself on the field?
I feel like my style is sort of transcendent. I believe I don’t try to do too much. I don’t go for the narratives. I don’t go for the flicks and stuff like that. I go what fits me and what suits me, and that’s me being my authentic self, which is cool, calm and collected, and that’s how I am on the field. I’m not that much of a trash talk on the field. And, I just allow my play to do the talking. So once I throw the outfit on, I don’t try to try to do too much, to be all flashy. But, you know, once people see it and take a look at it, it’s going to speak for itself.
You work with a stylist and treat fashion like film study. Walk through how you and your team build a look that still feels authentically you, not just “on trend.”
So at first I was really still trying to evaluate my style, really trying to go through different suggestions with my look. Obviously I want to be versatile, but I also want to be clean and dapper. So when I started working with London, it was all about finding the right pieces collectively as a team to work things out. Because first coming into the league, obviously you want the standout pieces, obviously you want the big brands. But as I started to, increasingly, get more and more aware of my style, I sort of went in towards a different path with not just the luxury designer material stuff, but just finding other alternatives, like turning a regular fit into an all star fit.
How do you see style, confidence, and access to resources intersecting for the next generation watching you now?
Yeah, I feel like all that is going to play its course, I believe with my platform and with the type of person and pedigree that I have, I think that the next generation looks at that and is inspired, I’ve always been a person to uplift the youth each and every day. Because once I pass, the new generation is gonna come, you know, and they’re gonna be the next ones, you know. I mean, who’s changing the culture, who’s paving their own way? So, it’s all about setting the right example, and, you know, molding the youth for the better.
What does the next era of Pat Surtain II in culture look like when football, fashion, and philanthropy all line up?
Once all those things are lined up.I believe that I want to start a family, start raising some kids, build my own legacy, you know, leave a legacy behind me with a great lineage. I mean, with a great foundation. So I definitely want to build on that, keep the positive momentum going and let the good times roll. So I’m a firm believer in that, and just sticking to my intuition.
This shoot lives in a space of modern minimalism, intimacy, and quiet confidence. What side of you does this feature show that fans and even teammates don’t usually get to see?
I say that I’m very well put together. I feel like this notion goes that football players always got to be feisty. You always have to have an angry demeanor. But nah, in that type of mindset, in that type of setting, I always allow myself to relax. Maybe drink some matcha by the fireplace, sit back and just, you know, kick my feet up a little bit and be nice and cozy. So from that perspective, that’s what I want the fans to see and engage in.
If someone discovers you for the first time through this placement, not a highlight reel, what do you hope they understand about who you are when the helmet and the designer fit both come off?
Man, I want the people to know that I am a fly, chill, confident man with a very few words that’s gonna put that shit together and put that shit on young and fly.
TEAM CREDITS:
Editor-in-Chief: Prince Chenoa
Feature Editor: Taylor Winter Wilson (@taylorwinter)
Photographer: Julia Duckworth (@juliasusannephotography)
Photography Retoucher: Cameron Reed (@cameronreeed)
Production & Lighting: Kendyl Spriggs (@simple.kendyl) & Manny Tezno (@manny_tezeno)
Wardrobe Stylist: London Wilmot (@ricconoir)
Publicist: Maddie Schulz (@maddie_schulz)
PR Team: Talks Brand Group (@talksbrandgroup), Whitney Talks (@whitneytalks) & Stephanie Hunter (@stephanienhunter)
