Getty Denver Broncos head coach Sean Payton.
Bo Nix is not just the Denver Broncos’ future at quarterback.
After locking down the starting job in the preseason, he is their QB of the present, and the Broncos making sure they have as many safeguards in place around him as possible. That includes turning down trade offers for 2019 Pro Bowl wide receiver Courtland Sutton.
The Broncos received a trade offer for Sutton – who skipped part of the offseason program in a contract holdout – from the San Francisco 49ers but rejected it.
“The 49ers only were willing to trade Brandon Aiyuk if they could get a top-flight WR to replace him. They offered a third-round pick to Denver for Courtland Sutton, and then would’ve dealt Aiyuk to the Steelers, but the Broncos declined the offer,” The Athletic’s Dianna Russini reported on X on August 29.
“So, he stays in SF.”
Bo Nix to Courtland Sutton for 23 yards!
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San Francisco ultimately signed Aiyuk to a four-year, $120 million contract extension, per NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport on August 29, putting an end to the saga.
Sutton is in Year 3 of a four-year, $60 million pact. He agreed to a restructured deal worth up to $15.2 million in 2024, per NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero in July. The Broncos also declined trade offers for Sutton during the season, per ESPN’s Adam Schefter in October.
He will remain in place as Nix’s No. 1 option in the passing game.
Courtland Sutton Wanted to Stay With Broncos Amid Trade Speculation
GettyCourtland Sutton #14 of the Denver Broncos.
Despite his holdout and trade speculation, Sutton maintained that he wanted to remain with the Broncos, who drafted him in the second round of the 2018 draft. He wants to help snap the organization’s nine-year playoff drought and more.
“This is where I want to be,” Sutton told reporters on June 11. “This is home, this is where I want to go hoist the Lombardi trophy, this is the place where I want to be able to retire, this is the place where I want to, hopefully, be able to put enough out once my career is done that I can, hopefully, be able to have a bid at the Bronco Ring of Honor.
“Those are all things that you know have to be earned. And, hopefully, I’m able to have the time to be able to continue to showcase that I’m capable of being in that caliber of people.”
The Broncos have so far declined to extend Sutton’s contract or trade him.
They could save $5.9 million by restructuring his deal, per Over The Cap. A trade would have saved $9.6 million in savings while incurring a $7.6 million dead cap charge. However, the Broncos have time on their side.
Broncos WRs Largely Unproven Behind Courtland Sutton
GettyDevaughn Vele #81 and Marvin Mims #19 of the Denver Broncos.
Sutton is in his seventh season and caught a career-high 10 touchdowns in 2023. He and 2024 free agency signing Josh Reynolds are the only veterans on the active roster. The Broncos also brought back Lil’Jordan Humphrey on the practice squad.
But two of their other three receivers on the active roster are rookies and the third, second-year wideout Marvin Mims, made a greater impact as a return man than at his natural position.
A trade would have left the Broncos even more inexperienced.
It would also have been detrimental to Nix. Nix enters the league with more collegiate starting experience than any quarterback before him. He is still a rookie, though, so it makes sense to keep as many proven players around him.
Nix’s rookie scale contract makes it easier for the Broncos to manage with Sutton’s $17.3 million cap charge on the books in 2024.
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Broncos Rejected Offer for Pro Bowler in Potential 3-Team Trade: Report