Broncos Facing ‘Impossible’ Decision With Potential $80 Million WR

When it comes to the wide receiver position for the Denver Broncos, there is a school of thought out there where the franchise seems to be facing one impossible decision after another.

Denver’s top wide receiver for most of the last decade, Courtland Sutton, is headed into the final season of the 4-year, $60.8 million contract extension he signed in November 2021, which was renegotiated to give Sutton a slight raise before last season.

While Sutton doesn’t deserve to get paid like the elite WR1 options in the NFL, it seems like a given he’s going to ask for that type of money.

In 7 NFL seasons, he’s only gone over 1,000 receiving yards twice, in 2019 and 2024, and there’s no logical leap to paying him $30 million per year, which would put him among the Top 10 highest paid players at his position.

The Broncos also don’t have anyone else on their roster who even sort of resembles a WR1 besides Sutton … even if we squint to try and make Devaughn Vele look like 2019 NFL Offensive Player of the Year Micheal Thomas, a former protege of Denver head coach Sean Payton on the New Orleans Saints.

So, what can the Broncos do other than take it on the chin and overpay for Sutton?

There are 2 obvious options. Neither one is great.

Option 1: Roll the Dice in Free Agency or With Trade

The first option is to wait and see how the 2026 free agent cycle pans out, which we can already kind of project. It’s not great.

The top 2 options, according to PFF, are Tampa Bay’s Mike Evans and Washington’s Terry McLaurin — 2 players we can almost guarantee won’t be allowed to leave their respective teams. After that, it’s a wasteland. The best option is probably Dallas Cowboys wide receiver George Pickens, who has shown little to indicate he can be a reliable WR1 option.

There’s also an unknown factor at play — the possibility an elite WR1 becomes available in a trade over the next year — but that’s not something the Broncos can or should count on.

Option 2: Draft Wide Receiver In First Round

Another option for the Broncos is to draft a wide receiver in the first round of the 2026 NFL draft, which has its own set of problems.

After several years of top-notch draft classes at the position, 2026 projects as a down year before Ohio State’s Jeremiah Smith is eligible to be drafted in 2027. However, there’s little chance the Broncos will even be able to sniff Smith, who could be the first wide receiver taken at No. 1 overall since Keyshawn Johnson by the New York Jets in 1996.

In 2025, the Broncos could have drafted a wide receiver in the first round but chose University of Texas defensive back Jahdae Barron at No. 20 overall — just one spot after Ohio State’s Emeka Egbuka at No. 19 to the Buccaneers and 3 picks ahead of Texas wide receiver Matthew Golden to the Green Bay Packers at No. 23 overall.

The most ideal situation for the Broncos would be if Sutton accepts a deal that’s more in the range of $25 million per season. Spotrac projects a 3-year, $79.6 million contract which would pay him approximately $26.6 million in average annual salary.