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It’s a sign of the times in the NFL when a player who, by any metric, has produced one average season after another can threaten a holdout and end up with a better deal.
Such is the case of Denver Broncos wide receiver Courtland Sutton, whom Bleacher Report’s Ryan Fowler put on his NFL All-Overpaid Team headed into the 2024 season.
Sutton threatened to not report to training camp if the Broncos didn’t upgrade the four-year, $60.8 million contract extension he signed in November 2021. He ultimately got his way and had $1.5 million in incentives added to the $13.4 million he was slated to make in 2024.
“Denver’s de-facto No. 1 wideout over the last handful of seasons, Courtland Sutton has failed to amass over 830 yards receiving in each of the last four campaigns,” Fowler wrote on August 29. “While 2023 saw him reach a new career high in touchdowns (10), the 28-year-old hasn’t evolved into the matchup nightmare the Broncos thought he’d become after his electric 2019 campaign (1,112 yards).”
The Broncos haven’t made the playoffs since the 2015 season and haven’t had a winning season since 2016 — two years before Sutton joined the team. The Broncos also haven’t had a player go over 1,000 yards receiving or rushing in a single season since 2019, when Sutton and former Denver running back Phillip Lindsay each passed the mark.
Greatest Time for Wide Receivers in NFL History
In terms of financial rewards, there has never been a greater time to be a wide receiver in the history of the NFL.
Minnesota Vikings wide receiver Justin Jefferson received the biggest contract of all time for a non-quarterback at four years, $140 million with $110 million guaranteed.
Dallas Cowboys wide receiver CeeDee Lamb signed for four years and $136 million with $100 million guaranteed. Five wide receivers in the NFL currently have deals worth at least $100 million with another, Cincinnati Bengals wide receiver Ja’Marr Chase, on track for his own massive deal.
“Sutton and his representatives had hoped, early in the offseason, to have additional money added to the deal,” ESPN’s Jeff Legwold wrote on July 25. “The Broncos, sources said, had resisted adding additional base salary but were willing to talk about the kind of performance bonuses Sutton did eventually receive.”
Nix’s Development Tied to Wide Receivers
Sutton might not be key to the Broncos in the future, but in 2024 he will be crucial to helping rookie quarterback Bo Nix develop after he won the starting job.
The Broncos also signed veteran free agent Josh Reynolds but released another veteran wide receiver, Tim Patrick, who had missed each of the last two seasons with injuries. Reynolds signed a two-year, $9 million contract after having 40 receptions for 608 yards and 5 touchdowns with the Detroit Lions.
Patrick’s release might symbolize the faith that the Broncos in a young group of unproven wide receivers. Second-year player Marvin Mims was an NFL All-Pro return specialist as a rookie and will start in the slot. A pair of rookie wide receivers in Troy Franklin, Nix’s teammate at Oregon, and Devaughn Vele, are also listed on the two-deep at wide receiver behind Sutton and Reynolds.
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