© Ron Chenoy-USA TODAY Sports
Broncos Insider Reveals Big Update on Courtland Sutton Trade Rumor
Courtland Sutton sent a message to the Denver Broncos earlier this week, and the NFL heard it loud and clear.
Denver Broncos wide receiver Courtland Sutton has been linked to the NFL rumor mill for years now. Each offseason, trade rumors surrounding Sutton have ignited, and they're not doused until the NFL trade deadline finally passes — then they spark up again when the calendar rolls over into the new league year.
Sutton made actual news earlier this week by opting to skip Denver's voluntary OTAs. Reports claim that Sutton is feeling insecure about his future and lack of guaranteed money, and is seeking a new contract.
Broncos head coach Sean Payton and GM George Paton have been in contact with Sutton and claim he's "in a good place," but that hasn't stopped the phone from ringing. With less than a week until the 2024 NFL draft kicks off, the Broncos have reportedly fielded multiple trade inquiries on Sutton, according to ESPN's Jeremy Fowler, but are putting out the signal that they're not looking to move him.
"The Broncos ave received multiple trade inquiries on wide receiver Courtland Sutton, per sources. The Broncos do not plan to trade Sutton, who is skipping voluntary workouts due to his contract," Fowler tweeted on Saturday.
These trade inquires could be sparked by the imminent reality of the draft approaching, or they could be a result of him skipping voluntary OTAs. Either way, there's a market for Sutton.
Entering the 2024 season, Sutton is set to earn a $13 million base salary. Only $2m of that money is guaranteed. The Broncos have to decide not only decide if he's worth more to them as a receiver on the roster or as a trade piece, but also whether keeping him happy and giving him a new contract makes sense.
Entering his seventh year, Sutton is still only 28 years old. He's under contract, currently, on a deal that will expire just after he turns 30.
The Broncos can make a reasonable bet, and have already done so with his current contract, that Sutton will maintain a steady flow of production until he hits the 30-year-old mark. But when a receiver hits the proverbial wall, it usually happens fast and not long after getting on the wrong side of 30.
If the Broncos still value Sutton — he did produce 10 touchdowns and 700-plus yards last year in a run-heavy offense — there might be a way to have their cake and eat it too. In the final stretch of cornerback Chris Harris, Jr.'s tenure, then-Broncos GM John Elway made the unprecedented decision to give the All-Pro an additional $3M in 2019 to keep him happy.
The Broncos wouldn't necessarily need to offer Sutton more money, but increasing the guarantees on his already existing $13M salary might be no skin off the team's teeth, if, indeed, he's still valued and factors into the brass' vision for the next year or two. His contract runs through the 2025 season.
However, if Sean Payton is ambivalent about Sutton's place with the team, it wouldn't make sense to increase his guarantees because it would only complicate matters if the Broncos wanted to cut or trade him at some point this year. While no player is untouchable amid Denver's rebuild — including Pro Bowl cornerback Patrick Surtain II — Sutton is a valuable weapon to have in the arsenal.
For a rebuilding team like Denver, it's very handy to have a veteran X receiver who can maintain a consistent level of production amid any quarterback instability. If nothing else, Sutton has proven that he can thrive while a QB carousel spins around him.
Take his 2019 campaign, for example. Sutton produced nearly 1,200 yards and six touchdowns while catching passes from three starting quarterbacks, including veterans Joe Flacco and Brandon Allen, and a rookie Drew Lock. That season resulted in Sutton's one-and-only Pro Bowl nod.
Sutton would tear his ACL early the following season, and while it's fair to assert that it took him a couple of seasons to get his game legs beneath him again after the injury, he found a way to make hay with the likes of Lock and Teddy Bridgewater in 2021 and a wildly inconsistent Russell Wilson in 2022. How Sutton produced last year with Wilson is the best testimonial for his ability to move the needle for the Broncos despite lackluster QB play.
So there is a value there. And honestly, if the best the Broncos could get for a significantly younger Jerry Jeudy was a couple of late-round picks, there's little reason to believe Sutton could net much more in a trade.
Now, if the Broncos were eyeing a trade-up from the No. 12 overall spot to land a quarterback, and including Sutton in the prospective package would serve as the cherry on top to seal the deal, by all means, that would be a no-brainer. But that's unlikely.
If there's a cherry to place atop any potential trade-up into the top-10 of the draft, it's Surtain. With the trade rumors swirling around Broncos HQ, we'll get some answers next Thursday, April 25, when the draft launches.
Stay tuned.
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