Broncos WR Courtland Sutton Took Less Money To Help Denver Retain Other Players

Last week, Broncos WR Courtland Sutton finally secured a long-awaited third contract with the team. Although the extension represents a sizable raise over what Sutton was due to earn and locks in a new wave of guaranteed cash, the $23MM average annual value of the deal makes him the league’s 18th-highest-paid wideout in terms of yearly compensation.

Per Sean Keeler of the Denver Post, Sutton understands he may have left some money on the table – Spotrac considers his market value to be roughly $26.5MM per year – in exchange for additional security. He also knows the team has a number of other mouths to feed, and he wanted to help ensure the Broncos could lock in other key players.

“[There’s] talent in that locker room, guys that are coming up, that are trying to get their second contract,” Sutton said. “I was blessed to be able to get my third. They put the work in just the same way as I have. And some of those guys have more accolades than I have when it comes to the NFL side of things … and to be able to sign the deal that we did, it gives us a chance to keep those guys around.”

A June report suggested defensive standouts Nik Bonitto and Zach Allen may have jumped Sutton as extension priorities for Denver, and other key members of what is expected to again be a stout defense in 2025 – John Franklin-Myers, P.J. Locke, Malcolm Roach, and Alex Singleton among them – are also on expiring deals. 

When asked if he was conscious of that reality when signing his own extension, Sutton replied, “1,000%. 1,000%. The deal that we wound up signing is a great deal, and it was very beneficial to myself. And it gives us a chance to be able to keep a lot of really good players around on this team and for years to come.”

Not long after the ink dried on Sutton’s deal, the Broncos agreed to terms with Allen on a monster four-year, $102MM pact. It would not surprise if Bonitto also landed a healthy new contract in short order.

Sutton, a team captain, has done his part to facilitate Denver’s ability to keep the band together. The club is also benefitting from having its starting quarterback, Bo Nix, on his rookie deal, and Sutton will again lead Nix’s collection of offensive weaponry.

Now 29 (30 in October), Sutton cracked the 1,000-yard mark for the second time in his career during Nix’s rookie campaign in 2024. Continued development from the second-year passer, coupled with the addition of tight end Evan Engram and reinforcements in the running game, could allow the Broncos – who cracked the playoff field last season – to take another step forward in 2025.