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If the Denver Broncos decided to send veteran wide receiver Courtland Sutton packing via a a trade, it won’t happen without head coach Sean Payton giving the deal the green light.
If Payton does decide to send Sutton elsewhere, it wouldn’t be a huge stretch to look at the similarities between a moment that occurred at the end of a win over the Carolina Panthers in Week 8 and a moment that occurred in a 2023 Week 15 blowout loss to the Detroit Lions between Payton and former quarterback Russell Wilson.
With Sutton, Payton came unglued on the former Pro Bowler after a fumble late in the game with the Broncos up 28-7 and trying to put the game on ice.
With Wilson, Payton went off after a penalty cost the Broncos a touchdown in the third quarter. It wound up being Wilson’s next-to-last game with the Broncos before he was released in the offseason. The fallout was an $85 million dead cap hit spread out over the 2024 and 2025 seasons.
Bleacher Report’s Alex Ballentine thinks the Broncos should send Sutton to the Pittsburgh Steelers — Wilson’s new team — via a trade. If it goes down, those 2 incidents could be pointed at as evidence Payton had reached his limit with Sutton, who hasn’t had a 1,000-yard receiving season since 2019.
“Calvin Austin III is emerging as a decent deep threat, and Van Jefferson is a reliable veteran,” Ballentine wrote on November 4. “However, adding someone like Courtland Sutton would allow everyone to play a more natural role, take some of the pressure off (George) Pickens and give Wilson more weapons to attack defenses. The Broncos have acknowledged receiving offers for Sutton this season but haven’t made it clear if they’re willing to deal him at the right price.”
The NFL trade deadline is November 5 at 4 p.m. EST.
Denver Columnist (Hilariously) List Broncos’ Needs
Denver Post columnist Sean Keeler broke down the reasons why the Broncos need to be sellers at the trade deadline following a 41-10 loss to the Baltimore Ravens in Week 9 dropped Denver’s record to 5-4.
“Payton and (Bo) Nix might be doing more with less than any coach-QB combo in the NFL right now,” Keeler wrote. “Tip your caps. But the Broncos don’t have a full compliment of draft picks in every round again until 2027. You’d be loco to chase more for (Nix) now by shipping off what precious pick capital is left in the bank account. You either sell some surplus dudes or ride this out with what you’ve got. The deadline won’t bring what the Ravens have that Payton doesn’t. The shopping list’s too long. An RB1. A wideout who takes some of the heat off Sutton. A TE1. A young LT1. Another safety, maybe.”
There are further implications to trading Sutton — mainly that sending the team’s leading wide receiver packing signals the Broncos think 2024 isn’t salvageable. That would be a tough sell to the team and to fans with a winning record at the turn and Denver’s first playoff berth since the 2015 season within reach.
What ‘Right Price’ For Sutton Might Be
Determining what the Broncos should get back for Sutton isn’t difficult.
On top of taking on the remaining $14 million he’s owed in 2025 on the 4-year, $60.8 million contract extension he signed in 2021, it would be hard to see the Broncos turning down any offer that included a second or third round pick.
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