Broncos Insider Clarifies Wild Trade Rumors Surrounding Jeudy/Sutton
The phones have been a-ringin' at Denver Broncos HQ with teams inquiring about wide receivers Jerry Jeudy and Courtland Sutton. Lacking draft capital this year, the Broncos have been big players on the free-agent market, out-paying every NFL team to the tune of $235.1 million in new money, which is 33% more than the next highest club.
The Broncos made major investments in the offensive line, signed a veteran backup quarterback, and plugged several other roster holes. Still, that pesky lack of draft capital persists.
If the Broncos have a specific strength on the roster, perhaps no individual position is more stacked than wide receiver. It might be a tad top-heavy, but the Broncos could likely afford to trade one of their top wideouts — if the price was right.
However, despite the incessant rumblings across the fruited plain, 9NEWS' insider Mike Klis reports that the Broncos don't "appear" interested in moving either Jeudy or Sutton.
"While lots of teams have called on Broncos WRs (Jeudy, Sutton) including some who have been aggressive, it doesn’t appear Denver is interested in moving them per source," Klis tweeted on Thursday. "Jeudy emerged at end of season, and there’s hope Sutton will return to 2019 form. There is optimism throughout football side both will thrive under one of game’s best play callers."
Indeed, whatever an interested party might offer, it would have to be worth more to the Broncos than what Jeudy or Sutton could provide the offense under new head coach Sean Payton. After a break-out Pro Bowl year in 2019, Sutton suffered an ACL tear the following season, and hasn't come close to producing at the same level.
However, it's worth mentioning that the offensive coaching, and quarterback play, in 2021 and 2022, respectively, were bad enough that it could have torpedoed the outlook of every skill-position player on the Broncos' roster. If you're not one who is too keen to believe in coincidence, then there is likely a correlation between Sutton's failure to return to Pro Bowl form and the lackluster offensive philosophies that sunk Denver over that same two-year span.
I'm still open to the distinct possibility that in Payton's hands, Russell Wilson could rebound mightily from his outlier of a 2022 season, which would be a tide that raises all ships in Denver, including Sutton. The Broncos invested in Sutton by way of a four-year extension in 2021, and the team could be on the brink of reaping some returns.
It'd be a shame if Denver was never able to cash in those chips because it dealt Sutton away. Whatever happens, he made it clear on Twitter that he just wants to be somewhere he's appreciated.
As for Jeudy, his value on the trade market is significantly higher, not only because he was a 2020 top-15 draft pick, but because of his relative youth (23 years old to Sutton's 27) and momentum. Jeudy turned a corner in the same stinky offense with Wilson at the helm last season, but it wasn't until the last quarter (or so) of the schedule.
If the Broncos could fetch a first-round draft pick for Jeudy, and a second or even a third-rounder, it might be enough to entice GM George Paton to pull the trigger on a trade. However, it's hard to see an NFL team giving up that level of draft capital for a receiver who is yet to produce a 1,000-yard receiving campaign, even though Jeudy is young and has just three accrued NFL seasons.
But the trade murmurings persist. So until the draft comes and goes, this is likely to be a hot-button issue in the Mile High City. Stay tuned.
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