The Denver Broncos have built one of the most stout rosters in the NFL. Do they have an overpaid player? One thing that can absolutely burn teams is overpaying for players. This can be done in free agency or by simply extension one of their own.
For the most part, we see teams overpaying the most for external free agency signings at the beginning of a given cycle, and they can sometimes end up in total disaster. The last time Denver truly overpaid for someone was them giving a huge extension to Russell Wilson following the trade.
Well, does the team truly have an overpaid player now?
According to Bleacher Report, it's Courtland Sutton:
"There are no egregious contracts on the payroll for this well-built team, but Sutton's isn't great. The 29-year-old has not gone over 1,100 yards since he was a sophomore in 2019, but he's slated to count $20.2 million against the cap in a walk year in 2025."Brad Gagnon
The Broncos did spice up Sutton's contract a bit last offseason, and this was the extension he signed with Denver a few seasons ago. He is due for a raise, but Denver has to ensure they don't fork over more than needed. I have been critical of Sutton in saying that he isn't a WR1 and that Denver should not pay him something like $25 million per year, but he is still a good player.
The current annual value on Sutton's deal is $13,750,000. That would be less than players like Christian Kirk and Calvin Ridley. That figure is similar to players like Khalil Shair, Darnell Mooney, Gabe Davis, and Darius Slayton.
When you look at the numbers and Sutton's production in 2024, he is absolutely not overpaid. He actually might be a tad bit underpaid at this point. In 2024, he caught 81 passes for 1,081 yards and eight touchdowns. It was the most receptions and second-most touchdowns of his NFL career, which began with the Broncos back in 2018.
The one issue with Sutton and likely why an extension hasn't been agreed to yet is his age. He turns 30 years old during the 2024 NFL Season and is definitely not in his prime years. This scenairo would be a lot different if Sutton was only 25. He'd have likely already signed a deal north of $30 million per season.
Denver has to tread carefully here. It's likely that in the next year or so, we see some sort of physical or statistical decline from the team's de-facto WR1. The hope is that this doesn't happen, but father time is undefeated. The Broncos also do have a pretty obvious need for another wide receiver, and that doesn't exactly tell us that the current room is 'good.'
Overall, I do not believe Courtland Sutton is overpaid at this moment - he is probably a bit underpaid or paid just right, but it's nice that the Broncos don't obviously have a player who is making too much money.