Buccaneers Monday debacle could lead to blockbuster trade with Broncos

The Denver Broncos have shown us anything but an interest in trading away wide receiver Courtland Sutton over the last couple of years. The Broncos allegedly turned down an offer from the Baltimore Ravens for Courtland Sutton back in 2023 and they were apparently approached by the San Francisco 49ers as recently as late August when the Brandon Aiyuk trade rumors were running rampant.

Now, the Broncos have re-done Sutton's contract a little bit. They converted over $11 million of his contract into a signing bonus, adding a number of void years down the road and creating a bunch of cap space ($9.4 million) in the process.

Interestingly enough, this makes Sutton very tradable as the year progresses. Sutton has a base salary just over $1 million right now, which is a pretty similar situation to the one we saw with Amari Cooper and the Cleveland Browns. And of course, we saw how all of that ended with Cooper and the Browns recently, as Cleveland shipped him off to the Buffalo Bills in a trade.

There are a number of interesting circumstances that might lead to a similar situation with Sutton being traded by the Broncos. At the very least, I think we can expect to hear about the Broncos receiving calls once again.

Major wide receiver injuries could lead to Broncos getting Courtland Sutton trade calls

Over the weekend, we saw a wide variety of major injuries around the NFL and what some are calling "pass catcher armageddon". The San Francisco 49ers lost Brandon Aiyuk to a season-ending knee injury and then Deebo Samuel came down with pneumonia. The Tampa Bay Buccaneers lost veteran Mike Evans on Monday night to a hamstring injury and then as the game was winding down, they also lost star receiver Chris Godwin.

The Buccaneers are in a pretty rough spot if both Evans and Godwin are out of the mix. That's a huge deal for them because Evans and Godwin had already combined for 11 touchdown catches this season. They have been absolutely essential for quarterback Baker Mayfield and that offense.

We'll have to wait and see how long Evans is going to be out with the hamstring injury, but Godwin's injury looked scary and is undoubtedly going to end his 2024 season. For a team with aspirations of winning the NFC South, you can rest assured knowing the Bucs are going to be active in finding help, and the Broncos may be a willing participant.

The Broncos are very committed to a youth movement right now and while Sutton is obviously part of the core of this team and a captain, we've seen more and more involvement from the likes of Troy Franklin, Marvin Mims, and Devaughn Vele in recent weeks. The Broncos also have Lil'Jordan Humphrey and Josh Reynolds (whenever he comes off injured reserve).

It hasn't been the most impressive year for Denver receivers, and Courtland Sutton is obviously a good player, but is he going to be in Denver beyond this year? And if the Broncos have an inkling that he won't be, there should be significant demand for Sutton's services around the league, including from at least one team that has already expressed interest in having him.

The Broncos could promote AT Perry off the practice squad (or any number of players there) and continue giving opportunities to this young core. Adding another 3rd-round pick potentially for the 2025 NFL Draft could give this team the push it needs to finally part with a player of Sutton's caliber.