Payton: Broncos Extension Candidates 'All Being Worked On'

Denver Broncos head coach Sean Payton indicated following Day 1 of training camp on Wednesday that the organization is currently engaged in negotiations with several of its contract extension candidates, including wide receiver Courtland Sutton.

“Look, there’s a number of guys — you’re going to ask me about a few contracts — they’re all being worked on," Payton told reporters. "It’s something we really would never discuss with you. ... There’s been good communication, and I’m just going to leave it at that relative to the specific players.”

Sutton was present and accounted for on the Broncos Park practice field as Denver kicked off the first of two acclimation sessions this summer. The team's top pass-catcher enters the final season of a deal he revised around this time last year, due to collect $13.5 million in base salary — ranking 26th among 396 NFL WRs, according to Over The Cap.

Heading into his age-30 campaign, Sutton is projected to fetch between $18 million-$22 million annually on an extension, and the Broncos have appeared committed to locking down franchise quarterback Bo Nix's most proven target.

"Courtland is one of our guys. He’s a team captain," general manager George Paton said at February's Scouting Combine. "I’ve said this for a couple years in a row, we want him here. We’ll have those discussions at the right time.”

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Joining Sutton on Denver's to-do list are multiple starters on the defensive side of the ball, beginning with All-Pro and Pro Bowl linebacker Nik Bonitto, who's eligible for a new deal after a breakout 2024 campaign that saw him finish third in the league with 13.5 sacks.

Bonitto, 26 (in September), disclosed Sunday that "talks are happening right now" but there's no specific "time period" for the sides to reach an agreement. Spotrac pegs his annual market value at $23.6 million — a significant increase from the $5.346 million he's slated to pocket this fall.

"You’ve kind of seen our model. The young player draft and develop. Even guys like [T Garett] Bolles. We like to take care of our own, so we’ll just see," Paton said of Bonitto at the Combine. "Nik obviously had a breakout year. He’s a dynamic player, and we want him here a long time.”

There, too, is the matter of placating starting defensive ends Zach Allen and John Franklin-Myers, both of whom have not-so-subtly intimated their desire to be rewarded with new pacts. Allen and Franklin-Myers are also both unsigned beyond the coming season, with the former reportedly asking "in the neighborhood" of $25 million annually.

The Broncos have roughly $12.621 in available salary-cap space as of this writing — and, with only that, a metric ton of math to crunch to keep the band together long-term.