Top 5 biggest Denver Broncos salary cap hits in 2023

Courtland Sutton, WR: $18,266,176

In Week 2 of 2020 against the Steelers, Courtland Sutton tore his ACL after making a tackle after an interception. The year before, he had a season in which he accumulated more than 1,100 receiving yards and had six touchdowns. Both of those were and still are career highs.

What do you want in a receiver? Ideally, you’d want a guy who can produce big-time no matter who is at quarterback. The Broncos had been searching for “Mr. Right” at quarterback like I mentioned and like has been mentioned countless times over the years. Sutton never had Peyton Manning. He’s had the likes of Drew Lock, Teddy Bridgewater, Brett Rypien, and now Russell Wilson.

Sadly, he’s not been the same since his torn ACL. Sutton had been a trade candidate among writers and fans due to his drop off and it still could be a talking point. However, would it make more sense to keep him around? The Broncos have a potential out in his contract in 2024 so it might be worth keeping him around and seeing how well he does in his second year with Wilson.

It will also be interesting to see how much Sean Payton and new wide receivers coach Keary Colbert can get out of him. Payton has been around for a long time. He’s had the luxury of having Drew Brees as his quarterback for 16 years. There’s no doubt in my mind that he can help Wilson connect with Sutton going forward.

Is his $18M+ cap hit extreme? Absolutely. I honestly hate that it’s that high of a cap hit. But if he can transform into something great, the concerns will lessen.