Denver Broncos wide receiver Courtland Sutton has been skipping the team’s offseason program as he seeks a revised contract.
Sutton is set to have a base salary of $13 million this season with $2 million guaranteed, according to OverTheCap.com. Next year, Sutton’s base salary will increase to $13.5 million, but none of it will be guaranteed.
Entering the final two years of his contract, the 28-year-old receiver wants a raise.
“He’d like to see that get up, maybe in that $15-$16 million range,” ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler reported earlier this month (hat tip to Predominantly Orange). “We’ll see if they can find a sweet spot.”
The Broncos took on a $53 million “dead money” cap hit when they released quarterback Russell Wilson in March, so it’s not surprising that the team has been reluctant to give Sutton a raise. Denver currently has about $8.7 million in available cap space, but big extensions for guard Quinn Meinerz and cornerback Pat Surtain are on deck.
All of the workouts and light practices that Sutton has missed so far have been voluntary, and the team has downplayed his absence. If he skips mandatory minicamp next month (June 11-13), Sutton could face up to $101,716 in fines.
Eventually, one side will give in. Either the Broncos will agree to revise his contract or Sutton will report for practice. The second week of organized team activities is set to begin later today.
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