The Broncos resolved two contract matters recently, extending Courtland Sutton and Zach Allen. While the All-Pro defensive lineman landed a deal that ranks him third at his position in terms of per-year value, the steady wide receiver accepted a lesser pact.
Sutton’s four-year, $92MM extension places him 18th among wideouts in AAV. That $23MM number slides alongside Calvin Ridley‘s free agency deal and just behind Michael Pittman Jr.‘s 2024 terms. The contract includes $41MM in total guarantees. All but $1MM of the latter figure checks in guaranteed at signing. The additional $1MM covers an injury guarantee in 2027, 9News’ Mike Klis notes.
[RELATED: Sutton Left Money On Table During Extension Talks]
That $1MM will shift from an injury guarantee to a full guarantee on Day 5 of the 2027 league year, Pro Football Talk’s Mike Florio adds. The Broncos used option bonuses to keep Sutton’s cap hits low. Both his 2025 and ’26 cap figures check in south of $14MM. In 2027, that number spikes to $28.48MM, per OverTheCap. The Broncos would be hit with $15.85MM in dead money if they released Sutton in 2027. In 2028, that number lowers to a more manageable $9.78MM. Still, the contract’s guarantees — for the most part — will pay out by the 2026 season.
No rolling guarantee structure is present, giving the Broncos flexibility with a receiver who will turn 30 in October. Sutton has been Denver’s top wideout over the past two seasons, meshing better in Sean Payton‘s system compared to Jerry Jeudy. With questions covering the rest of the Broncos’ WR corps, Sutton will again be positioned as Bo Nix‘s top target this season.
While Denver did not add a surefire starter to accompany Sutton at receiver this offseason, the team overhauled its backfield by using a second-round pick on R.J. Harvey and signing J.K. Dobbins to likely work as a short-term starter. This Mark Ingram–Alvin Kamara-like setup — that appears the goal here, at least — leaves incumbents vying for jobs. Former UDFA Jaleel McLaughlin has appeared the favorite to land the RB3 role as a change-of-pace option, but he may not be a roster lock just yet.
The Broncos used Tyler Badie in key portions of their joint practice with the 49ers, per Klis, who points to the Missouri alum being ahead of 2024 fifth-round pick Audric Estime. Although Badie played in front of McLaughlin in the joint workout, the Denver Post’s Parker Gabriel lists the third-year player as the most consistent option for the RB3 role leading up to the Broncos’ preseason opener.
McLaughlin has been steady as a change-of-pace option, as the NCAA all-divisions rushing leader has 570- and 572-yard seasons (from scrimmage) during his first two years. A 2022 sixth-round Ravens draftee, Badie has only taken 12 career handoffs. A back injury shelved Badie for much of last season, but the Broncos both saved an IR activation for him and deemed Estime a healthy scratch in their wild-card game. Estime fumbled twice last season but was the team’s third-leading RB rusher (Nix was third on the team) with 310 yards. Three years remain on his rookie deal, but the Broncos would barely take on $250K by cutting the big back.
Shifting to defense, a key backup on Denver’s D-line from 2022-23 — Matt Henningsen — may lose a full season due to injury. The Broncos fear Henningsen suffered an Achilles tear during their joint practice with the 49ers, Klis reports. The injury occurred during a one-on-one drill.
Although the former sixth-round pick has never started a game, he was a key backup from 2022-23 — before spending last year mostly on the practice squad. The Broncos have a fairly clear top five up front — Allen, D.J. Jones, John Franklin-Myers, Malcolm Roach, third-round rookie Sai’Vion Jones — and Gabriel pegs Jordan Jackson and Eyioma Uwazurike as vying for a roster spot. Uwazurike is best known for his involvement in an Iowa State gambling investigation, leading to a full-season 2023 ban, while Jackson is a former Saints sixth-rounder who played 17 Broncos games last year.