The Denver Broncos have been the rage of the offseason for their aggressive approach to fix several areas of need. Several Broncos veterans remain in line for new deals after strong 2024 campaigns, including wide receiver Courtland Sutton.
A Pro Bowler in 2019, Sutton turns 30 in October and is entering the final year of a two-year, $27.5 million contract, a deal he and the Broncos re-worked from a four-year, $60 million pact.
9News’ Mike Klis reported on an expected new deal.
“Sources tell 9NEWS there have been enough good-faith bargaining discussions made between the two sides that unlike last year, Sutton is planning to attend the Broncos’ offseason training program when players are scheduled to report April 21,” Klis wrote on March 30.
“Sutton has one year and $14 million left on his contract, and with 25 receivers scheduled to make more in 2025, it’s been communicated to the Broncos that a reworked contract is expected.”
This comes after Bleacher Report’s Brad Gagnon called Sutton the “most overpaid” Bronco.
“There are no egregious contracts on the payroll for this well-built team, but Sutton’s isn’t great,” Gagnon wrote on March 26. “The 29-year-old has not gone over 1,100 yards since he was a sophomore in 2019, but he’s slated to count $20.2 million against the cap in a walk year in 2025.”
Sutton caught 81 passes for 1,084 yards and 8 touchdowns for the Broncos in 2024. Only six other receivers posted lines that were as good or better than Sutton’s last season, per Stathead.
Five of them earned Pro Bowl honors, three were All-Pros.
Sutton set a new career-high in receptions while the yardage was his second-best output. A second-round pick by the Broncos (No. 40 overall) in 2018, he has earned $55.2 million in his career. Klis expects Sutton to get a raise from his current $20 million annual salary.
Courtland Sutton on Fair-Market Deal
Sutton held out from part of the voluntary portion of the 2024 offseason before he and the Broncos re-worked his deal to end the stalemate. That set the stage for the current climate, but Altitude Sports’ Brett Kane believes the Broncos are still paying a commensurate value for Sutton.
Kane strongly did not agree with Gagnon’s assessment of Sutton.
“I was just looking at some headlines yesterday on Bleacher Report,” Kane said on “Moser, Lombardi, & Kane” on March 28. “Before I hit the link, I just sat there to myself for a good three, four, five minutes. I said, ‘Who the hell would the Broncos’ be? Who are they going to say before I open up this article? Who would they say?’ And after about five minutes of thinking about it, you know what my answer is? Couldn’t think of one. I don’t think that there’s a single person I would say is overpaid.”
“Maybe they were just trying to come up with a name. I’ll say this about Courtland Sutton: I think he’s a rarity in sports, where I think $20.2 [million] is the exact right price for Courtland Sutton.”
