The Denver Broncos have re-signed star receiver Courtland Sutton to a four-year extension through the 2025 season. His deal looks like a steal.
The Denver Broncos may not have played over the weekend, but general manager George Paton remained plenty busy, getting long-term contract extensions done with a couple of the team’s stud playmakers on offense.
On Friday, the team agreed to terms on a three-year contract with wide receiver Tim Patrick at three years, $34 million with $18.5 million in guaranteed cash.
On Monday, it was reported that the Broncos had agreed to a four-year deal with 2018 second-round pick Courtland Sutton worth $60.8 million in total money and $34.9 million in guarantees.
Courtland Sutton’s extension is a steal for George Paton and the Broncos
The #Broncos reached an agreement on a big-time extension for standout WR Courtland Sutton, his agency @milkhoneysport tells me and @TomPelissero. It’s a a 4-year $60.8M extension with $34.9M guaranteed. After a torn ACL in 2020, he’s back as a star and was rewarded like one.
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) November 22, 2021
Two signings in a matter of days is something Broncos Country is not used to with John Elway in charge of the roster. Elway preferred to wait for deadlines and let the player’s market value formulate in the offseason, though he wasn’t completely averse to re-signing guys in-season.
This is a different approach, however, from George Paton.
Since he came over from the Minnesota Vikings, Paton has made good on his word to keep core players around, re-signing guys like Justin Simmons, Shelby Harris, Tim Patrick, and now Courtland Sutton to long-term deals.
That was largely the way things operated in Minnesota while he was there, and that’s clearly an area of emphasis for Paton in Denver.
The deal for Sutton coming in at around $15 million annually is an absolute steal for the Denver Broncos.
Although Sutton is coming off of an ACL injury and his share of targets hasn’t been where everyone would like to see it, but that doesn’t mean it won’t be at some point in the near future.
On the open market, Sutton could have easily gone for $18 million or more per season, and what everyone needs to remember is the fact that the price of any position is going to go up substantially in the next couple of years as the NFL salary cap skyrockets
Even now, Sutton’s average annual salary ranks barely in the top 20, which means that in a couple of years, this deal is going to make George Paton look like a genius.
So why would Sutton and Patrick take deals that are seemingly at or below market value? Well, for starters, it’s difficult to pass up that much guaranteed cash, at least one can imagine it would be.
For another thing, Patrick and Sutton have both bought into being part of the core of this Denver Broncos team. They are leaders on this team and players George Paton obviously has prioritized building around.
Being wanted is an underrated thing in the “what have you done for me lately?” way the NFL operates.
So, you combine being wanted with financial security and stability, as well as the players themselves wanting to stay in Denver and be part of building something special?
You get a couple of very team-friendly deals and some peace of mind going into the offseason, knowing that you can now recruit possible quarterbacks via trade or free agency with your top receivers under contract through at least 2024 if not longer.
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These are some very savvy moves for George Paton and hopefully, he’s not done getting moves made before the 2022 offseason.