Much of the coverage of the Broncos this offseason has focused upon what the club will do with respect to its quarterback position, but new GM George Paton also has non-QB business to handle. That includes the contract situations of OLB Bradley Chubb and WR Courtland Sutton.
During his first pre-draft press conference, Paton told reporters, including Zack Kelberman of SI.com, about his desire to keep both players in the fold for the long haul. “They’re two of our core guys, and we want them here a long time,” Paton said. “We’re not going to address that until after the draft. We’re strictly focused on the draft, but those are two of our guys.”
As a 2018 first-round choice, Chubb’s rookie contract carries a fifth-year option that Paton must exercise by May 3. Though he has not explicitly said so, the rookie general manager will doubtlessly pick up the option, which is valued at a fully-guaranteed $12.7MM. That will buy player and team plenty of time to work out a contract extension.
Chubb posted 12 sacks in his rookie year, but he suffered a torn ACL early in the 2019 season. He rebounded from that injury to tally 7.5 sacks last year, to go along with 19 QB hits. Pro Football Focus graded him as the 30th-best edge defender out of 109 qualifiers, but his pass rushing score of 79.4 was actually a top-15 mark, and he earned his first Pro Bowl bid for his efforts.
It’s unclear if Paton will pursue an extension for Chubb immediately after the draft, though it would make sense for the two sides to at least have exploratory conversations. The same can be said of Sutton, but his situation is a little murkier.
Like Chubb, Sutton is a 2018 draftee, but because he was selected in the second round that year, his deal does not have a fifth-year option. So he will be eligible for unrestricted free agency after the 2021 season, and given that he sustained a season-sending ACL tear in his first game of the 2020 campaign, Paton may want to make sure he returns to form before getting too aggressive with extension talks.
Plus, the Broncos invested heavily at the wide receiver position last year, drafting Jerry Jeudy in the first round and KJ Hamler in the second. That could limit how far Paton is willing to stretch himself on a new contract for Sutton, but if Sutton picks up in 2021 where he left off in 2019 — he earned a Pro Bowl nod that year after posting 72 catches for 1,112 yards — it will be difficult to let him walk.
The Broncos have plenty of good, young receivers, but Sutton is still the top option. He’s more well rounded than the others are. Hamler and Jeudy both looked good last year, and Patrick is another good option, but Sutton will need to be the Broncos’ number one target. Because he does not have a fifth year option, I see him as the top priority in terms of contract extensions on the roster.
Jeudy will surpass him in no time.
Possibly, but one thing Sutton has on Jeudy is his hands. Jeudy runs great routes and is faster, but Sutton has better size. The Broncos are best with both of them on board.
Sutton and Hamler on the outside with Jeudy underneath is a great combination.
All due respect “ myaccount” I think Sutton has a much higher ceiling than Jeudy. I think Sutton is much more of a matchup problem than any other rostered receiver. I wasn’t. Fan of the Jeudy pick at all … Sutton has the potential to be too 5 in the league. I think Jeudy is best case , Tyler Locket , worse case Christian Kirk …
I agree. A Sutton extension needs to happen. Him, Jerry and KJ are going to have to be the top dogs this year. I have a feeling Patrick is going to be traded during the draft. Especially if Denver trades up with Detroit. If that trade happens I see the Lions wanting him instead of an extra pick.
I wouldn’t extend Sutton until they see how his post-injury year goes.
3 years 39-42 million with 20 guaranteed and call it a day. Salary cap is expected to skyrocket in future years and a team friendly contract of 13-14 million on a shorter deal with a decent guarantee is good for both sides.