Getty Denver Broncos WR Courtland Sutton reacting against the New York Giants.
During the offseason, there have been discussions between the Denver Broncos and other teams about trading for one of Denver’s top wide receivers.
According to Jeff Zrebiec of The Athletic, the Baltimore Ravens and Broncos nearly had a deal done for Courtland Sutton.
“Desperate for a quality veteran receiver, the Ravens explored trade and free-agent possibilities. At one point, there appeared to be a deal to be made for Courtland Sutton, but the Denver Broncos decided they didn’t want to trade him.”
On March 30, Jeremy Fowler of ESPN reported that the Ravens had called Denver about trading for Sutton.
“I’ve heard the same for DeAndre Hopkins and Courtland Sutton. They seem open to potentially adding a quality outside receiver.”
Instead, the Ravens went out and signed Odell Beckham Jr. to a one-year deal worth $15 million.
Broncos Say They Won’t Trade Their WRs
NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero caught up with Broncos head coach Sean Payton and got an answer that everyone has been wanting.
“I see and read just like everyone else does,” Payton said. “Then occasionally, when someone really crowds the plate, I throw a fastball right at their chin, and they back up, and they’re like, ‘Alright.’ And so I haven’t thrown any fastballs lately, but we’re not trading those two players.
Payton also mentioned that Denver has received calls about their top two wide receivers from last season.
“When people call and the phone rings like it does this time of year, (general manager) George Paton’s job is to pick it up and say, ‘Hey. Tell you what, we’re not.’ And so, we’ve received calls, you bet. Those are two good football players. But we’re in the business of gathering talent right now. Why do people call? Because they know we’re void of draft picks and that we might, because there was some discussions a year ago, I think, regarding Courtland. But we like the current group that we’re working with.”
Courtland Sutton Has Disappointed Since His Deal
After being drafted in the second round of the 2018 NFL draft, Sutton was expected to be a deep threat for the Denver offense by making plays on 50/50 balls, but that hasn’t been the case.
Sutton had over 700 receiving yards as rookie and followed it up with over 1,100 yards the following year. In 2020, Sutton missed nearly the entire season with a torn ACL and didn’t look the same the following season.
Since his 1,000-yard season in 2019, Sutton has yet to come close to the milestone.
On November 22, 2021, the Broncos and Sutton agreed on a new four-year deal worth $60.8 million, but Sutton has not played up to the level of the contract.
Since signing his deal, Sutton has only caught two passes and they both came in the 2022 season.
It’s unlikely that the Broncos would be able to get any draft picks within the first three rounds for Sutton because of his high cap hit.
In 2023, Sutton has a $18.2 million cap hit followed by over $17 million in 2024 and 2025.
Over the last two full seasons, Sutton has four touchdowns and 1,605 yards averaging out to just 50.4 yards per game.