Courtland Sutton Says He Left Money on the Table to Keep Broncos’ Key Contributors Together

Sutton signed a 4-year, $92 million extension this week.

Courtland Sutton #14 of the Denver Broncos celebrates after beating the Kansas City Chiefs 38-0 at Empower Field At Mile High in Denver on Jan. 5, 2025. Matthew Stockman/Getty Images

Denver Broncos wide receiver Courtland Sutton sacrificed money to help keep the roster together.

Sutton signed a 4-year, $92 million extension on Tuesday. The up-and-coming Broncos have several key players due for contract extensions next year. With this reality in mind, Sutton told the Denver Post in an interview that he left money on the table to help the team give extensions to those players.

“It wasn’t about me,” Sutton said.

According to Spotrac, Sutton’s contract is tied for the 11th-highest in the league, both in total value and average annual salary. The deal includes $41 million in guaranteed money. It is his third contract with the team.

For Sutton, the deal is less about him than it is about the team. The Broncos have several key contributors, mainly on defense, who are due for contract extensions. Among them are:

• Defensive lineman Zach Allen, who had 8.5 sacks last season and won a second-team All-Pro nomination.
• Edge rusher Nik Bonitto, who became the first Broncos player since Von Miller and Bradley Chubb in 2018 to achieve 10+ sacks in a season, led the team with 13.5 sacks on his way to a Pro Bowl and second-team All-Pro nod.
• Linebacker Alex Singleton, who led the team in tackles by a wide margin in both 2022 and 2023.
• Cornerback Ja'Quan McMilian, the team’s starting nickel corner who was fourth on the team in tackles and tied for second in passes defended with 10, along with two interceptions and a touchdown.
• Luke Wattenberg, the team’s starting center in 2024.
• Running back Jaleel McLaughlin, the Broncos’ second-leading rusher in 2024.
• Defensive linemen John Franklin-Myers and Malcolm Roach, rotational pieces along the defensive front.
• P.J. Locke, who started at safety last year.
• Justin Strnad, who filled in for Singleton last year after he went down with an injury.
• Tight end Adam Trautman, a 2020 draft pick by the Saints who, along with fullback Michael Burton, Roach, and kicker Wil Lutz, have previous experience with head coach Sean Payton from New Orleans.

Sutton said he was fully conscious of the need to give new deals to these players, and it “1000%” factored into his decision.

“[There’s] talent in that locker room, guys that are coming up, that are trying to get their second contract,” he 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.”

Deals Before Deadline

The Broncos have a habit of signing key players to extensions during the season before they become free agents.

Last season, they signed cornerback Patrick Surtain II, edge rusher Jonathon Cooper, and left tackle Garrett Bolles to mid-season extensions. Surtain’s deal is notable because, while it made him the highest-paid player at his position at the time, the cornerback market was reset three times during the offseason, making Surtain’s deal something of a discount.

“The deal that we wound up signing is a great deal, and it was very beneficial to myself,” Sutton said of his deal. “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.”

A second-round draft pick of the Broncos in 2018, Sutton is the second-longest-tenured member of the Broncos behind Bolles, who was drafted in the first round of the 2017 NFL Draft. He is the elder statesman of a young but dynamic wide receiver room.

Former 2023 second-round pick Marvin Mims has already earned two Pro Bowls and two All-Pro selections as a return specialist and gadget player; 2024 seventh-round pick DeVaughn Vele emerged as a reliable target for quarterback Bo Nix during the season; 2024 fourth-round pick Troy Franklin was Nix’s college teammate at the University of Oregon.

The Broncos signed career special-teams player Trent Sherfield in free agency and drafted Pat Bryant in the third round of the 2025 Draft.

The team also has A.T. Perry, Michael Bandy, Jerjuan Newton, Joaquin Davis, Courtney Jackson, and Kyrese Rowan on the roster.