The Denver Broncos’ offseason of departures may not be over, as veteran receiver Courtland Sutton is holding out of voluntary workouts, reportedly in hopes of a new contract.
With this holdout, Sutton seemingly hopes to pressure the Broncos into either offering him a market rate extension (likely north of $17M per year) or restructuring more of the remaining $27M over two years on his current deal into guaranteed money, as he currently only has $2 million guaranteed over those seasons.
It’s understandable for Courtland Sutton to utilize his leverage on Denver after watching fellow highly paid veterans such as Justin Simmons, Russell Wilson, and Josey Jewell depart the team in the previous months, while the wide receiver market skyrockets.
He’s been arguably the team’s best offensive player since his arrival in Denver and is coming off a year where he had an otherworldly contested catch rate while dominating the red zone.
Still, while Sutton has been an above-average receiver for the Broncos, the harsh reality is he’s closer to average than elite at this juncture in his career.
He’s limited after the catch (ranking 114th in YAC/reception among all receivers in 2023) and has been ever since his 2019 ACL tear. He’s a good-not-great separator at age 29, and this combination leads to a lack of consistent explosive plays. He only caught 67.8% of the passes thrown his way this season, which would rank 46th out of all receivers with 20 targets. and has a career reception percentage of 61.1%. In 2023 he tied for the fifth most drops in the league with seven and was tied for the second most fumbles at receiver with three.
His highlight reel catches are fantastic and his connection with Russell Wilson this last season provided some of the most exciting moments Broncos’ fans have known in years, but overall, as a pass catcher, he’s fairly lackluster.
It is in Denver’s best interest to move on at this point.
Courtland Sutton has been on the trade block for the last two years and seems aware that his days in the Mile High City are numbered based on his social media posts. With the trend of receiver contracts and the number of quality receiver prospects coming into the league every year, it’s hard for a team in Denver’s position to justify extending Sutton or giving him a raise.
The team isn’t going to be competitive in 2024 — barring a superstar rookie QB finding his way to Denver — and the team needs to get a headstart on finding the next generation of players. The Broncos shouldn’t hesitate to accept if a team is willing to part ways with an early Day 3 pick for Sutton.
They have a plethora of Day 3 picks, thanks to the Jeudy trade and, with some extra ammo from a Sutton deal, could be in position to move up into the third round for some swings on higher-value rookie deals.
The thesis of Sean Payton’s tenure has been shifting the culture and getting guys in the building who want to be there. It’s hard to fault any vets who’ve endured season after season of misery in Denver for wanting a fresh start, or in Sutton’s case, more financial security.
That said, it’s equally hard to fault the Broncos for recognizing it’s time to get some fresh ingredients for the recipe. The reality is that Courtland Sutton has been on the team since 2018 and has one season over 900 yards. There are a lot of factors that play into this, but it’s impossible to argue he deserves to be paid among the top 20 receivers in the NFL when this is the case. Great players produce regardless of their surroundings.
Courtland Sutton is a ‘good’ wide receiver but he shouldn’t be paid like a great one.
