The Denver Broncos cannot pverpay for Courtland Sutton.
With recent wide receiver deals, the price tag for a potential Courtland Sutton contract extension is only getting higher. The Broncos have to be careful. Sutton has just one more year left on his contract, as his current deal was signed a few years ago.
The Broncos WR was a second-round pick back in the 2018 NFL Draft and has one Pro Bowl and two 1,000-yard seasons. He truly broke out in 2019 with that Pro Bowl appearance, and it seemed like Denver was well on their way to having another stud no. 1 WR.
However, Sutton's ACL tear at the beginning of the 2020 NFL Season really seemed to throw a wrench into things. In the 2021, 2022, and 2023 seasons, Sutton failed to hit the 900-yard mark. He did finally breakout again in 2024, catching 81 passes for 1,081 yards and eight touchdowns. Sutton has caught 18 touchdown passes over the last two seasons for the Broncos.
Across his seven-year NFL career, the wide receiver averages 66 receptions, 926 yards, and six touchdowns per 17-game season. He's got two years of at least 1,000 yards, but no other seasons with at least 900 yards. Sutton has an 88.4 passer rating when targeted in his NFL career, and a 100.1 rating when targeted over the last two seasons.
The Denver Broncos have to be careful here...
No matter how you slice it, Courtland Sutton is absolutely not a WR1 in this league - he's a high end no. 2 and a fine player. With him being in the last year of an outdated contract, the Broncos may have no choice but to pay up, especially given the recent WR deals that have been signed. DK Metcalf signed a deal worth $30 million per year, and news just broke about Tee Higgins signing a deal worth $28.75 million per year.
According to spotrac.com, the market value for Courtland Sutton is now all the way up to $26.6 million per season. The total deal they have in mind is a three-year extension worth just under $80 million. Folks, I am not sure Sutton is worth close to that at this point, but with the Broncos not doing much at WR lately and them waiting around on an extension, they might be forced to pay Sutton a number worth well over $20 million per season.
He turns 30 years old in October as well. Denver really botched this if you ask me - the need for a veteran WR is evident, but for whatever reason, Sean Payton and the Broncos seem to feel quite good about their WR room. Let's hope that they are careful with this extension.
