Courtland Sutton, Wil Lutz to participate in NFLPA Classic golf tournament

Broncos receiver Courtland Sutton and kicker Wil Lutz will participate in the NFLPA Classic golf tournament this week.

Although the 2024 NFL season is months away, a pair of Denver Broncos get a chance to get competitive, just on a different field of play.

Wide receiver Courtland Sutton and kicker Wil Lutz will get the opportunity to participate in the NFLPA Classic golf tournament this week. The two will also serve as captains for their respective teams.

The three-day event will be held in Riviera Maya, Mexico, from March 21-23. This golf tournament allows Sutton, Lutz, and the 62 other NFL players participating to showcase their golf skills away from the football field.

Of the 62 other players participating, here are the other team captains who will serve alongside Sutton and Lutz: Joel Bitonio, Jacoby Brissett, Gabe Davis, Austin Ekeler, Dallas Goedert, Jordan Hicks, Marlon Humphrey, Aidan Hutchinson, Cole Kmet, Will Levis, Von Miller, Desmond Ridder, Harrison Smith and Kayvon Thibodeaux.

Congratulations to Sutton and Lutz on this fun opportunity to represent the Denver Broncos.

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Broncos pick up Courtland Sutton’s contract guarantee

The Broncos seem unlikely to release Courtland Sutton after guaranteeing $2 million of his salary. A trade might still be possible, though.

Denver Broncos wide receiver Courtland Sutton had a $2 million injury guarantee in his contract that was set to become fully guaranteed on the fifth day of the NFL’s new league year (March 17).

The deadline has since passed and Sutton is still on the roster, so that $2 million is now locked in for the 2024 season. Sutton’s base salary will be $13 million this year and his total salary cap hit will be just north of $17.39 million.

The Broncos could still save $7,745,588 in salary cap space if they release Sutton, but if the team planned to do that, he likely would have been cut before his injury guarantee became fully guaranteed. Sutton now seems more likely to remain in Denver, but a trade could still be in play.

Reports emerged last week that the Broncos planned to keep Sutton and defensive lineman D.J. Jones in 2024 despite their large cap hits. Denver could save $9.97 million in cap space if Jones is released.

Elsewhere on the contract front, right tackle Mike McGlinchey also had his $17.5 million injury guarantee for 2025 vested into a full guarantee on the fifth day of the new league year. The Broncos are now essentially locked into McGlinchey’s contract for the next two years.

Denver saved about $11 million worth of 2024 salary cap space when McGlinchey restructured his contract before NFL free agency. McGlinchey is a lock to remain with the team in 2024. Sutton and Jones seem likely to stick around, but trades can’t be ruled out in the coming months.

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Courtland Sutton posted the saddest Fresh Prince of Bel-Air GIF in response to Jerry Jeudy’s trade from Broncos

It’s a sad time to be a veteran player with the Denver Broncos.

With the Denver Broncos in the midst of a roster purge to free up cap space, the team has parted ways with players like quarterback Russell Wilson, safety Justin Simmons and, as of Saturday, wide receiver Jerry Jeudy.

Broncos wide receiver Courtland Sutton finds himself as one of the most senior members of the team, and he posted a very sad post on Twitter (X) on Saturday to signal that he’s beginning to feel a bit lonely on Mile High.

Sutton shared a GIF of the final scene of the 1990s sitcom hit The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air, one of Will Smith’s character looking around the empty Banks family house as its being sold and everyone is moving away.

This is one of the tougher parts of the NFL, when teams begin to cut and trade veteran players in the midst of a reset. Broncos cornerback Patrick Surtain II shared a similar sentiment to Sutton recently when Simmons got released.

Sutton might find himself on a new team eventually as Denver trends toward a rebuild, which really would be a sign of the times.

He’s one of the team’s best players, and he’ll either hold down the fort or start anew this offseason like some of his old teammates have.

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Broncos players react to Russell Wilson’s release on Twitter

The Broncos are parting ways with Russell Wilson. Here’s how his teammates reacted on Twitter/X.

Russell Wilson’s release from the Denver Broncos, although expected, has sent shockwaves across the NFL landscape. Wilson came to the Broncos via trade in 2022 and then signed a five-year, $242.5 million contract.

He was expected to turn the Broncos back into playoff contenders, but after an 11-21 record and no playoff appearances, the writing was on the wall. Denver will take a big hit, too, with an unprecedented $85 million “dead money” cap hit.

While the media has had its day with the news, Broncos players have shared their opinions on Wilson’s departure.

Check out the slides to see their reactions on Twitter/X.

5 players the Broncos could trade to create salary cap space

The Broncos might receive trade interest in these five veterans this spring.

The Denver Broncos currently hold just six draft picks and they are projected to be $24 million over the salary cap. The Broncos could address both of those dilemmas through trades this spring, freeing up cap space and acquiring more draft capital by parting ways with pricy veterans.

Pat Surtain likely has the most trade value on Denver’s roster, but he is the club’s best player and still playing on a team-friendly rookie contract. The Broncos seem unlikely to trade Surtain (perhaps unless they attempt to trade up for the No. 1 overall pick in the 2024 NFL draft).

We didn’t include Surtain on this list because he is young and affordable, exactly the kind of player Denver should build around. Barring a blockbuster move for a top quarterback prospect, PS2 is presumably safe.

These five other players could be available, though. The Broncos might not draw much interest for a few of them, but the team would probably be willing to part with any of them — if the price is right.

Potential salary cap savings provided by OverTheCap.com

Titans suggested as potential trade partner for 2 Broncos players

The Titans were suggested as a potential trade partner for two different Broncos players.

The Tennessee Titans are in the market for offensive line and wide receiver help in 2024 as the team begins its rebuild, which will be centered around quarterback Will Levis.

While Tennessee’s entire offensive line was bad in 2023, the left tackle position was no doubt the worst of the bunch. Adding to that, Titans wide receivers not named DeAndre Hopkins struggled mightily to get open.

Knowing all this, it comes as no surprise there is no shortage of speculation involving the Titans and wide receivers and offensive linemen who may be available this offseason, whether that be through free agency or trade.

In two separate articles, the Titans were pegged as a potential trade partner with the Denver Broncos for a left tackle and wide receiver. Let’s take a look at both scenarios and what we think about each one.

Every NFL team’s receiving leader from the 2023 regular season

Each team’s leader in receiving yards from 2023

Look, we know the Carolina Panthers had a terrible, horrible, no good, very bad year—particularly on offense. But fair is fair, and we already gave you passing and rushing leaders.

So, let’s finish it out and run through each team’s leader in receiving yards from the 2023 regular season.

Broncos’ leading receivers from 2023 season

After Courtland Sutton (772 yards) and Jerry Jeudy (758 yards), the Broncos’ next three leading receivers in 2023 were all running backs.

Peyton Manning led a record-breaking Denver Broncos offense in 2013 that featured a pair of 1,000-yard receivers and four players with double-digit touchdown receptions.

It’s not fair to compare the 2023 squad to one of the best (if not the best) offense in NFL history, but the Broncos’ receiving totals last season are especially underwhelming when one recalls the team’s glory days with Manning.

Denver did not have a single receiver top 1,000 receiving yards in 2023. Courtland Sutton did haul in 10 touchdown catches, but no other player on the team had more than four scores last fall.

Behind Sutton (772 yards) and Jerry Jeudy (758 yards), the team’s next three leading receivers were all running backs, perhaps a reflection of quarterback Russell Wilson’s reluctance to push the ball down the field. Broncos RBs Javonte Williams (50 catches) and Samaje Perine (47 receptions) both more than doubled Marvin Mims’ catch total (22) in 2023.

Outside of Sutton’s impressive touchdowns, it was mostly a season to forget for Denver’s passing attack. Here’s a quick look back at the team’s 10 leading receivers from the 2023 campaign.

Broncos Wire podcast: Coaching updates + Courtland Sutton status

On our latest podcast, Ryan O’Leary and Jon Heath discuss coaching staff changes, Courtland Sutton’s status, Super Bowl LVIII and more.

Bring on the NFL offseason!

On the latest episode of the Broncos Wire podcast, I joined host Ryan O’Leary to discuss coaching staff changes, Courtland Sutton’s trade status, Super Bowl LVIII and more.

You can listen to episode No. 104 below:

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You can view our notes from this week’s episode below.

NFL coaching carousel updates
  • Raiders stick with Antonio Pierce (5-4 as interim)
  • Chargers land Jim Harbaugh, who turned down Greg Penner last year and remained at Michigan. Now having won a national championship, Harbaugh will return to the NFL and he’s landing in the AFC West.
  • Would we rather have Harbaugh and last year’s 1st-round pick and this year’s 2nd-round pick or Sean Payton right now?
  • At least neither Bill Belichick nor Mike Vrabel have landed in the division. Belichick for Broncos defensive coordinator??? 👀
  • After losing DC  Ejiro Evero last year, Payton wanted to hire Vic Fangio as DC, but Fangio did not return to Denver. Fangio then joined the Dolphins and after one season he is leaving Miami for a lateral move to the Eagles.
  • The Broncos, meanwhile, have said nothing about the status of DC Vance Joseph, so he’s presumably sticking around for 2024? DBs coach Christian Parker has drawn interest from Pats and Packers as DC candidate.
  • Not a coach update, but front office related: Broncos hired Saints assistant college scouting director Cody Rager as their new vice president of player personnel. GM George Paton is sticking around, but Rager is a “Payton guy” and I can’t help but wonder if a promotion might be in store for him down the road …

Courtland Sutton expecting to leave Broncos in 2024?

  • Sutton wrote a post on his Instagram page that kind of sounded like a goodbye to Broncos fans. Part of it read, “I know all things happen for a reason and I trust my Gods plans over everything including whatever is next for me. Just know I gave everything to this team and organization every time I stepped on that field! All Love 14 🤟🏾.”
  • Last offseason, when there were rumors of the Broncos potentially trading Sutton, he wrote “I just want to be where I’m wanted and appreciated” on his Twitter page. No trade happened and he scored 10 touchdowns in 2023.
  • Now going into 2024, Denver has six draft picks and GM George Paton has said they would like to get more through trades. Players like Sutton, Jerry Jeudy and Justin Simmons might be trade candidates as the Broncos look to acquire more picks and enter a rebuilding phase.
Super Bowl LVIII
  • Go 49ers, go!
  • Broncos fans can’t help but wonder what the team would look like if Mike Shanahan’s son was Denver’s coach, Ed McCaffrey’s son was their star running back and Hall of Fame Broncos safety John Lynch was their GM.
  • Kyle Shanahan interviewed for Denver’s HC job in 2017 but Joe Ellis and John Elway hired Vance Joseph instead.
  • Elway helped mentor John Lynch as a GM trainee — he sat in on Broncos’ drafts — and late former owner Pat Bowlen offered Lynch a job with the team “many times.” Lynch chose to instead wait for the perfect opportunity and he got it when the 49ers offered him their GM job in 2017.
  • It’s a bummer that the Broncos were not able to land Shanahan, McCaffrey and Lynch in 2017, but we’ll definitely be rooting for them to beat the Chiefs in the Super Bowl. Consider me a die-hard San Francisco fan!

Ryan and I will return with new episodes when news pops up during the offseason.

If you enjoy this podcast, you can check out previous episodes on Apple PodcastsSpotify or on your podcast service of choice. Please consider giving the podcast a positive rating and review!

You can listen to every past episode below or at this link.

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Let the Courtland Sutton and Jerry Jeudy trade rumors begin

Déjà vu: Broncos WRs Courtland Sutton and Jerry Jeudy could both draw trade interest this offseason. Should Denver trade one in 2024?

Welcome to the NFL offseason.

The league still has conference title games set for this weekend and the Super Bowl scheduled for Feb. 11, but for 28 teams, the offseason has already arrived.

The Denver Broncos will be a fascinating team to follow this offseason as they sort out their quarterback situation and navigate a salary cap mess. The Broncos currently only hold six draft picks and we know they want to acquire more, so trades are a very real possibility this spring.

Denver’s top two wide receivers — Courtland Sutton and Jerry Jeudy — have been mentioned in reports of trade discussions for more than two years now, and those talks will likely continue in 2024.

Earlier this week, KUSA-TV’s Mike Klis wrote that “after entertaining the possibility of trading either Sutton or Jerry Jeudy last offseason, the Broncos are expected to move on from one this offseason.”

Klis has backtracked a little from his “expected to move on” statement by writing on Twitter/X page that he is “speculating,” not reporting. Still, it’s easy to connect the dots. Denver wants draft picks and the team needs salary cap space. Trading one of Sutton or Jeudy would make sense.

Playing on his fifth-year option, Jeudy is set to have a salary cap hit of $12.987 million this season. The Broncos would be free of all of that cap hit if Jeudy is traded this spring.

Sutton is scheduled to have a cap hit of $17,395,588 in 2024. Trading him would free up $9,745,588 in cap space. Releasing him with a post-June 1 designation would create $13,570,588 in cap space.

Earlier this month, Sutton wrote a message on his Instagram page that sounded like a goodbye to fans. It’s possible that the receiver already expects Denver to move on this offseason, either via trade or release.

Sutton is coming off a year in which he scored a career-high 10 touchdowns, but the Broncos might have trouble finding a trade partner willing to take on the receiver’s entire contract. Jeudy is coming off an underwhelming season in which he scored twice, but he’s younger and on a cheaper contract.

Trading Jeudy would likely be easier, but Denver might be willing to part ways with either (or both) WRs this spring. Right now, it’s merely speculation, but in the coming months, trade buzz should start to heat up.

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