Brace yourselves, Denver Broncos fans. The latest Courtland Sutton update isn't likely to put you in a good mood, by any means. Parker Gabriel of The Denver Post relayed a picture from Instagram of Sutton after a workout recently, and as they say, a picture is worth a thousand words.
Not a big surprise at this point but appears #Broncos WR Courtland Sutton is still training on his own as OTAs get going in Denver. OTAs, of course, are voluntary.
— Parker Gabriel (@ParkerJGabriel) May 22, 2024
First mandatory work is minicamp June 11-13. pic.twitter.com/MZhEzQ28qH
Gabriel is right -- if Sutton doesn't show up to Denver Broncos OTAs this week, there won't be any surprise aspect of it. Sutton has made it clear this offseason that he's not attending voluntary workouts in Denver amidst an apparent contract dispute with the team.
It should be noted at this point that Sutton has not requested a trade out of Denver, at least not that has been reported. And frankly, the time for trading him has long gone at this point. Teams have mostly filled out their 90-man rosters and spent their salary cap space. There would be demand for Sutton if the Broncos simply dumped him, but they aren't going to just dump him when they've had multiple opportunities to get value for him, including some reported trade offers that have been turned down over the last year or so.
It also doesn't seem likely that Sutton is going to get a new contract, either. Sutton has two years remaining on an extension he signed near the end of the 2021 season. The issue with the contract right now -- from Sutton's side of things -- is the lack of guaranteed money left on the deal. He's only got $2 million of guaranteed cash remaining on the contract, and with the violent nature of the NFL, he obviously wants more assurances than that.
Understandable.
What's not understandable is a holdout lingering much longer than this. Sutton can skip all of the voluntary workouts he wants, but if he starts skipping mandatory work this offseason, this situation will be given a violent shove into the "ugly" category. The Broncos don't seem likely to give Sutton any more guaranteed money anytime soon, and Sutton has already made his point loud and clear.
The issue now becomes a matter of making sure Sutton -- the team's #1 receiver -- is getting on the same page with 1st-round pick Bo Nix at the quarterback position. When Russell Wilson came aboard, Sutton was one of the receivers who was traveling out to Wilson's complex in San Diego and getting offseason work in. If nothing else, those guys worked really hard on chemistry and timing.
Perhaps the whole Wilson situation is another layer to this. Wilson and Sutton were/are close, and it wouldn't be shocking if Sutton was making this statement as a little bit of opposition to the team's decision making in the 2024 offseason.
Maybe Broncos Country can take a little solace in the fact that Sutton is following Bo Nix on Instagram, for whatever that's worth. Hopefully, those guys have linked up. I'm sure the first opportunity the media gets to talk to Nix, he'll be asked about an update there.
For now, the updates regarding Sutton are mostly just frustrating. He's coming off of arguably the best year of his pro career despite having just 772 receiving yards on the season. Sutton finished last year with 10 touchdown catches, but he hasn't eclipsed 1,000 yards receiving since the 2019 season in which he made the Pro Bowl.
Sutton is one of the most likable guys on the team, and has been a captain for the Broncos, but don't the captains usually show up to offseason workouts? Especially because Sutton plays such a crucial role on the team from a leadership perspective, and has two years remaining on his deal, his deliberate absence this offseason is a little frustrating from the fan perspective. Sutton has a base salary of $13 million this season and $13.5 million next season. His average annual salary of $15 million is 22nd-highest in the league among wide receivers.
He ranked tied for 57th last season in total receptions (59), but he was one of only seven receivers/tight ends with 10 or more touchdown catches last year. He ranked 44th in the league last season in receiving yards (772).
Only time will tell how this is all going to play out, but for now, Sutton appears to be sending the same message and so do the Broncos. It might not be until mid-June or later that we see Sutton back on the field in a Broncos uniform.