Getty Dallas Cowboys wide receiver CeeDee Lamb.
There’s an epidemic of disgruntled wide receivers going around the NFL, and the Denver Broncos haven’t been immune. Their star wideout, Courtland Sutton, sat out OTAs over a contract dispute before returning for minicamp.
Another team with even bigger wide receiver issues is the Dallas Cowboys, who have yet to grant two-time NFL All-Pro CeeDee Lamb a contract extension which could rival the record-setting, 4-year, $140 million contract extension for Minnesota Vikings wide receiver Justin Jefferson.
In a mind-melting trade proposal, Predominantly Orange’s Lou Scataglia suggest trading Lamb to the Broncos for Sutton, a 2025 first-round pick and 2026 second-round pick.
“Let’s get super freaky right off the bat,” Scataglia wrote. “You could argue that the one thing missing from the Denver Broncos offense currently is a true WR1. Well, you can’t get much better than CeeDee Lamb who seems very unhappy that he does not have a contract extension from the Dallas Cowboys, who have totally botched this offseason.
“… It is a high price, but it’s what the top of the WR market is at now. The Denver Broncos would likely have to part with valuable draft capital to make this deal go down, perhaps multiple draft picks and a player, like I’ve proposed above. Would Courtland Sutton, a first, and a second-round pick be enough?”
Lamb Unstoppable Through First Three Seasons
The idea of adding Lamb to their roster falls squarely in the “wildest dreams” category for any NFL fan.
Since the Cowboys selected Lamb out of Oklahoma as the No. 17 overall pick in the 2020 NFL draft, he’s been arguably the NFL’s best wide receiver.
Lamb’s receiving yardage has gone up each of his four seasons and heads into 2024 coming off three consecutive seasons over 1,000 receiving yards — he had 935 receiving yards as a rookie in 2020.
Lamb’s 2023 season was one for the ages as he led the NFL with 135 receptions to go with 1,749 receiving yards and 12 touchdowns. He’s also been named a Pro Bowler each of the last three seasons.
Lamb signed a 4-year, $14.01 million rookie contract in 2020 and after the Cowboys picked up his fifth-year option in 2023, he’s scheduled to make approximately $17.9 million in 2024.
Sutton Last Denver WR to Pass 1,000 Receiving Yards
Bleacher Report’s Kristopher Knox projected how Jefferson’s deal could impact the NFL wide receiver market, and projects the Broncos will end up granting Sutton’s wish with a 2-year,$35 million contract extension with $25 million guaranteed.
That is, if he’s not traded. Sutton is still the last Denver player to pass 1,000 receiving yards in a single season, which he did in 2019 on the way to earning his lone Pro Bowl spot.
“Broncos receiver Courtland Sutton, whose lone 1,000-yard campaign came back in 2019, is a tier or two below every other player on this list,” Knox wrote. “However, he has to be mentioned because he has held out of offseason workouts in an effort to gain a new contract. The good news for Denver, which is working to develop rookie quarterback Bo Nix, is that its top receiver isn’t actually seeking No. 1 receiver money.”