Before the 2024 NFL season, Denver Broncos wide receiver Courtland Sutton made himself the subject of the biggest offseason storyline with a misguided attempt to force the franchise into a contract extension.
For Sutton, that meant asking for a boatload of money despite not having a 1,000 yard receiving season since 2019, when he earned his lone Pro Bowl selection, and creating a ton of bad press for himself.
The Broncos didn’t really budge. They were more than willing to let Sutton go into the final year of his contract in 2025 without an extension. The compromise ended up being Sutton received a slight raise with $1.5 million in bonus incentives added to his contract.
Sutton responded by being pretty much the best teammate you could be and having the best season of his NFL career, and did so with a rookie quarterback in Bo Nix. Sutton racked up 81 receptions for 1,081 yards and 8 touchdowns as the Broncos made the playoffs for the first time since 2015.
Fox Sports Jordan Schultz broke the news on July 28 that Sutton’s patience might finally be about to pay off.
“The #Broncos and WR Courtland Sutton have made significant progress in recent days on a contract extension and the belief is a deal should get done ‘sooner than later,’ per multiple sources,” Schultz wrote on his official X account. “Sutton’s reps were in Denver working on it with Broncos officials.”
(Update: Schultz reported the Broncos and Sutton agreed to a 4-year, $92 million contract extension shortly after this story was posted)
Projection Has Sutton Land $75 Million Extension
Sutton’s contract has been a popular topic for the Broncos in the offseason only because he has just one season left on his deal — not because he’s been making noise.
Bleacher Report’s Matt Holder put Sutton his list of the most anticipated contracts coming for NFL holdouts, although Sutton is skirting that definition as he’s in attendance at camp participating in individual drills.
Holder predicts Sutton will land a 3-year, $75 million contract extension. Sutton’s last big contract was a 4-year, $60.8 million extension signed in November 2021.
“Sutton has been seeking a new contract since last year, skipping out on the team’s voluntary offseason program in 2024,” Holder wrote. “However, that only resulted in the organization tacking on a few incentives in lieu of an extension, and he’s been a full participant during OTAs, minicamp and training camp this year.”
Broncos Need Other Wide Receivers to Step Up
While Sutton has shown for several years he can be one of the AFC’s top wide receivers, he’s had little help in recent years. To that end, the Broncos even traded away wide receiver and 2020 first round pick Jerry Jeudy to the Cleveland Browns in March 2024.
Now, the Broncos need a promising group of wide receivers to step up and become a viable WR2 option behind Sutton. In the last 3 years, head coach Sean Payton has drafted four wide receivers — more than any other position — including 2025 third round pick Pat Bryant out of the University of Illinois.
The best of the group could be the 2 wide receivers taken in 2024 with fourth round pick Troy Franklin (28 receptions, 263 yards, 2 touchdowns) and seventh round pick DeVaughn Vele (41 receptions, 475 yards, 3 touchdowns).
