Insider Floats Broncos Veteran WR as a Name to Watch on Trade Block

It wouldn't be cheap to pry him off the Denver Broncos' hands.

Nov 3, 2024; Baltimore, Maryland, USA; Denver Broncos wide receiver Courtland Sutton (14) catches a pass during the first half against the Baltimore Ravens at M&T Bank Stadium. / Tommy Gilligan-Imagn Images

The Denver Broncos have had a very busy on Monday. After trading away outside linebacker Baron Browning and announcing the contract extension of Jonathon Cooper (who reportedly signed his contract at the team hotel on Saturday night prior to the Baltimore game), are Broncos done making moves?

There haven't been many reports that the Broncos are likely to add a player at the deadline at this point. There had been murmurs of Denver shopping for a tight end, but it appears this team is staunch in wanting to retain and add resources and capital and continue to build this roster following many lean seasons in both draft picks and salary cap space.

Instead of trading for a player for a playoff push on a fringe AFC Wildcard team as things currently stand, it appears the Broncos may be more likely to sell again prior to Tuesday’s trade deadline.

Recently on the Rich Eisen Show, NFL insider Tom Pelissero reported that the Broncos could still trade wide receiver Courtland Sutton if their asking price is met.

“Do people make another run at guys like Courtland Sutton from the Broncos? They have certainly had offers really over the past couple of years for him. How does Sean Payton feel about that roster at this point? That one would not be cheap but certainly that is a name to keep in mind," Pelissero said.

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Given the current state of the Broncos’ weapons on offense and the wide receiver room, it would, as Pelissero put it, “not be cheap” to obtain Sutton from the Broncos. Sutton is arguably the only above -average offensive skill-position player on the roster and is starting to gain real chemistry with rookie quarterback Bo Nix.

Sutton is coming off the first back-to-back 100 -yard games of his NFL career. How much would it cost to risk Nix going out there with just Josh Reynolds (on injured reserve), Marvin Mims Jr., Troy Franklin, and Devaughn Vele as his top four receivers, on top of the underwhelming running back output and the relatively non-existent tight end play in the passing game.

Not only is Sutton arguably the only truly above average offensive skill player on the Broncos roster currently, but he has an exceedingly reasonable contract at this point in time. Ranking as just the 28th-highest contract in the NFL in APY (average per year), Sutton is paid like a high-end No. 2 receiver.

Arguably, the only receivers who are better than him and paid less are still on their rookie contracts, and there are a number of receivers who are paid more than Sutton who are equivalent to him at best, if not worse.

A trade wouldn't net the Broncos much in terms of cap savings that could be rolled over into additional space this upcoming offseason. According to Over the Cap, prior to this season, a Sutton trade would only result in cap savings this year of $1.68 million and a 2025 dead cap hit of $13.257 million. Denver has very little financial incentive to move on from him after his restructure this past offseason.

The Broncos have taken calls on Sutton perpetually over the past few seasons it seems. He's seemingly always on the trade block, but the Broncos never finda deal that's worth how they viewed his value internally.

With the potential negative impact moving on from Sutton could have on Nix, given the current state of the offensive weapons and the lack of financial incentive, it would take an offer too good to refuse for the Broncos to ship him off before Tuesday's 2 pm MDT deadline.

If a playoff-contending team were offering a Day 2 draft pick, specifically a second-rounder, the Broncos could be pretty tempted. In the end, though, it seems unlikely anyone will be willing to offer what Denver would need to move off of Sutton.

He’s not a superstar wide receiver, but he’s by far the best this team has on the roster. Sutton still has 1.5 years of contractual control, and is a fine value at worst (if not a slight bargain) on his current deal, given the inflation of the wide receiver market over the recent offseasons.

It seems unlikely Sutton will be moved before Tuesday, but expect to hear his name in rumors once more come the offseason as it has been in so many years in a row.

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