Denver Broncos wide receiver Courtland Sutton has decided not to show up for voluntary workouts, and Tom Pelissero of NFL Network reports that it's due to Sutton not being satisfied with having just $2 million in guaranteed money left on his contract, which doesn't expire until after the 2025 season. Sutton hasn't officially "held out" of anything because he's not missing any mandatory work until June, but the fact that him being upset about his contract is coming to light a week before the 2024 NFL Draft is not insignificant.
There's a chance Sutton could be traded before or during the 2024 NFL Draft, and there's an obvious destination for him if that happens. That destination?
The Steelers have five selections in the first four rounds, including a pair of picks in the third. They have a clear need at the wide receiver position after moving on from Diontae Johnson earlier this offseason (trade with Panthers), and George Pickens is going to need some help.
Why do the Steelers make sense besides just having a need at the receiver position?
Well, first and foremost, the Steelers have Russell Wilson in the QB1 chair for the time being, and Wilson was wildly effective last year when throwing the ball to Courtland Sutton. Sutton caught 10 touchdown passes last year (a career high) and was really the only receiver Wilson seemed to consistently trust in Denver. Having that familiar face in Pittsburgh could be huge for Wilson, but it would be huge for Justin Fields if he wins the job, too.
Quarterbacks (Wilson, Jarrett Stidham) had a rating of 120.2 when targeting Sutton last season, and it's not the first time in his NFL career that he's proven himself to be rather "quarterback-proof".
On top of the chemistry he's had with Wilson and the fact that he's a big help for whoever is throwing him the ball, the Steelers hired Zach Azzanni to coach their wide receiver position this offseason. Why is that significant? Well, Azzanni was hired by the Broncos as their wide receivers coach in 2018, the same year Sutton was drafted. And he held that title through the 2022 season before getting hired by the Jets in 2023.
A trade to the Pittsburgh Steelers would fill a need for Pittsburgh, it would reunite Sutton with Russell Wilson, it would potentially give Justin Fields a good security blanket, and it would reunite Sutton with receivers coach Zach Azzanni. Not to mention, having a mentor like Sutton could actually be huge for someone like George Pickens, who seems like a bit of a wild card personality-wise for Pittsburgh.
The stars have aligned. The Steelers simply need to make the Broncos a fair offer for Sutton, and I think that deal would get done. It's the least they can do since the Broncos are footing the bill for nearly $38 million of Russell Wilson's salary in 2024.