Courtland Sutton reads a room even better than he reads a defense.
“It wasn’t about me,” the Broncos’ veteran receiver told me after practice Tuesday at Broncos Park Powered by CommonSpirit. “At the end of the day, yes, we work in a business of compensation.
“(There’s) talent in that locker room, guys that are coming up, that are trying to get their second contract. I was blessed to be able to get my third. They put the work in just the same way as I have. And some of those guys have more accolades than I have when it comes to the NFL side of things … and to be able to sign the deal that we did, it gives us a chance to keep those guys around.”
Nik Bonitto’s reps are pursuing an extension. Zach Allen, John Franklin-Myers, Malcolm Roach, P.J. Locke, Alex Singleton and Justin Strnad are all heading into contract years.
“Were you conscious of that?” I asked Sutton.
He nodded.
“1,000%,” the wideout replied. “1,000%.”
Big 14 and the Broncos agreed to a four-year deal worth $92 million on Monday. He’ll take home $23 million per year, on average. Nice work if you can get it, only there’s a twist: Spotrac.com’s “market value” estimator pegged Sutton’s worth at about $27 million annually, even suggesting a three-year deal for him in the range of $79.8 million.
DK Metcalf’s playing on a four-year deal with Pittsburgh worth $33 million in annual salary. The Eagles’ A.J. Brown signed a three-year extension through 2029 reportedly worth an average of $32 million a year.
Sutton’s racked up more catches than Metcalf since the start of the 2023 season (140 to 132). Court’s also accounted for 19 touchdowns over that span, compared to Brown’s 14 and Metcalf’s 13.
In other words, at age 29, on what might be his last massive NFL payday, the dude left a little money on the table.
You know what? That was by design, the receiver says. Sutton wants to keep the band together as badly as you do.
“The deal that we wound up signing is a great deal, and it was very beneficial to myself,” he said. “And it gives us a chance to be able to keep a lot of really good players around on this team and for years to come.”
Even with Russell Wilson coming off the books, it’s going to take some cap gymnastics to keep one of the best defenses in franchise history intact. Every nickel helps.
And if you want a no-drama training camp, well, that starts at the top. As a captain, Sutton has remained one of the Broncos’ good soldiers — through joy, pain, hail, locusts, Patrick Star and Nathaniel Hackett.
When pressed about state secrets, Sean Payton makes the KGB look warm and fuzzy. Yet the Broncos head coach trusts Sutton unflinchingly. That says a lot, too.
“If you didn’t say a word, the young guys watch his preparation and his work ethic,” Payton said. “Obviously, his experience (rubs off) with all of those players. But it really starts with this preparation in here (and) onto the field. He’s everything you want in a pro.”
After Payton arrived in Dove Valley two years ago, he brought Sutton, who’d battled injuries and inconsistency, into his office. Worried that Sutton had gotten too heavy, the coach put on some clips from No. 14’s Pro Bowl season in 2019.
“Look,” Payton told him. “I want this guy.”
So far, he’s gotten it. Sutton set personal bests in targets (135), catches (81) and receiving yards (1,081) last fall.
When talking about Sutton Tuesday, Payton sounded positively effusive, especially by Sunshine Sean standards. He even likened No. 14 to Marques Colston, arguably the best receiver he ever had in New Orleans.
“When you get to know him, he doesn’t have too many bad days,” Payton said. “Those guys with the right energy — man, there’s a lot to be said for that.”
There’s a lot to be said for a $27 million receiver who takes $23 million happily, puts his head down, and gets to work.
“I had the utmost faith that something was going to get done,” Sutton said. “And the last thing that I wanted to be was a distraction. That’s what I’ve done my entire career, and that’s what I want to continue to do is not be a distraction.”
And where would Bo Nix be without him? Sutton caught six of his eight TDs last fall from the Broncos’ second-year quarterback after Halloween. During the offseason, the pair couldn’t help but get a little giddy about what they’d already built over such a tiny window.
“I may have the years on him in terms of (an) NFL career. But the dude understands ball and understands leadership to a different level,” Sutton said. “That’s why he is where he is. And so to be able to walk hand-in-hand with him is amazing. And we just try to lead the best way we possibly can for this team so that we can ultimately get to the end goal.”
“Did Bo ever twist your arm to get this contract done?” I wondered.
“He never pressured me in a bad way,” Sutton said. “And that’s the one thing I respected whenever he and I had conversations — he always was right there with me.
“But he knew that I wanted to be here at the end of the day. He knew that this was home. He knew I would do whatever I possibly could to be able to stay here. And make sure that everyone else gets what they deserve as well.”
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