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Tag: courtland sutton

  • Broncos WR room in good hands with Courtland Sutton, an improvement ‘thief,’ leading the way

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    The Broncos’ 2025 wide receiver corps has a high ceiling because of the upside several players in the room possess.

    Perhaps just as important: The group has a pretty stable floor because of Courtland Sutton, the trusty veteran and No.1 option.

    Sutton is coming off perhaps the best year of his professional career in 2024, is newly signed to a four-year, $92 million contract extension, and is primed to carry on into 2025 as the top option for second-year quarterback Bo Nix in the passing game.

    None of that seemed like a guarantee when the 2018 second-round pick got off to a slow start with Nix last year, but over the course of the season, their connection continually strengthened.

    By the end of Week 18, Sutton logged career highs in catches (81) and targets (135), topped 1,000 yards for the first time since 2019, and set himself up to be part of Denver’s long-term future.

    “He’s been a captain,” head coach Sean Payton said this summer. “If he didn’t say a word, the young guys watch his preparation and his work ethic. Yet, obviously, his experience (helps) with all of those players. It really starts with his preparation in (the building) and on to the field.

    “He’s everything you want in a pro.”

    In 2024, he started slow but turned himself into everything Nix needed as a rookie trying to navigate his first NFL season.

    Sutton finished third in third-down catches (30) and led the NFL in both third-down yardage (452) and first downs generated (27), according to Football Database data.

    At 6-foot-4 and 215-plus pounds, Sutton gave Nix a big target to trust down the field and in traffic.

    According to Next Gen Stats, Sutton accounted for 45.7% of the Broncos’ downfield targets, which was the second-highest share on throws of 10-plus air yards in the league.

    That led to a lot of good (812 yards on downfield throws between Nix and Sutton), some bad (six interceptions on such attempts), and a clear trust built between the two.

    Payton said this summer that Sutton reminds him of former New Orleans receiver Marques Colston, a seventh-round pick who went on to log six 1,000-yard seasons, 9,759 total receiving yards and 72 touchdowns over a 10-year career.

    “Marques was maybe a little quieter, but day in and day out, so consistent in their performance,” Payton said. “And then on gamedays, they were very similar. They both played split end, strong hands in traffic, really, really good football instincts. …

    “When you get to know (Sutton), he doesn’t have too many bad days. Those guys with the right energy, there’s a lot to be said for that because you’re going to hit some tough times and you’re going to hit some walls during the course of any season. He’s one of those guys who is part of the solution. Always.”

    Sutton turns 30 in early October — he’ll celebrate the big, round number while the Broncos are in London preparing to play the New York Jets — but has shown no signs of slowing down. Even in 2024, when he skipped the voluntary portion of Denver’s offseason in protest of his contract status, Sutton showed up to training camp in terrific shape.

    This year proved no exception.

    “Courtland has been having a really good camp,” offensive coordinator Joe Lombardi said recently. “He looks to me even better than he did last camp.”

    Denver Broncos head coach Sean Payton talks to Denver Broncos wide receiver Courtland Sutton (14) and QB Bo Nix (10) during training camp at Broncos Park Powered by CommonSpirit in Centennial on Thursday, July 31, 2025. (Photo by Andy Cross/The Denver Post)

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    Parker Gabriel

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  • Broncos DL John Franklin-Myers focused on season after no extension: ‘We all just want to feel wanted’

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    NEW ORLEANS — John Franklin-Myers may not be thrilled, but he’s ready for regular-season football.

    The Broncos defensive tackle is entering the final year of a two-year, $15 million contract he signed after getting traded to Denver last spring.

    There’s been little sign of movement toward a deal, and sources told The Denver Post the sides did not negotiate this summer. That stands in contrast to veterans Courtland Sutton (four years, $92 million) and Zach Allen (four years, $102 million), who landed major long-term agreements. Fourth-year outside linebacker Nik Bonitto doesn’t have a new deal yet, but he said recently his team and the Broncos have had productive talks and that he thinks a deal “will get done.”

    Not so for Franklin-Myers, though he said any feelings he may have about his current status are now sidelined for the next several months.

    “We all just want to feel wanted, and I think when it’s time to play football, obviously money and stuff aside, I’m under contract,” Franklin-Myers said after Denver’s preseason finale. “So football is football. Obviously, we all want what we’re worth, but until then, shoot, I’m going to play football. It is what it is.”

    Franklin-Myers’ addition last year helped turn what was one of the NFL’s worst defensive fronts in 2023 into one of its best in 2024. His ability to rush the passer not only gave offenses fits, but it also kept them from being able to turn double teams toward Allen on a regular basis.

    Allen broke out with an 8.5-sack season and led all NFL defensive tackles with 67 pressures and 40 hits.

    “Zach’s my dawg. I said it from the jump,” Franklin-Myers said. “Man, (Jets defensive lineman) Quinnen Williams was a good friend of mine, played with him for a long time, and I was happier when he got paid than when I got paid. Zach Allen is no different. You talk about somebody who shows up every day. He earned the money.

    “He makes me better, makes the team better. He deserves his money. I’m all for it, and Zach deserves all of it.”

    Now, Franklin-Myers and Malcolm Roach appear poised to enter Week 1 without contractual security beyond this year. Roach laid out a straightforward approach earlier in camp in saying that if everybody plays well, everybody’s going to get paid. It’s just a matter of whether that’s in Denver or elsewhere.

    In the meantime, the defensive line has big goals.

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    Parker Gabriel

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  • Broncos WR Lil’Jordan Humphrey takes blame after Bo Nix’s early interception caromed off his hands: “It’s a mistake on me”

    Broncos WR Lil’Jordan Humphrey takes blame after Bo Nix’s early interception caromed off his hands: “It’s a mistake on me”

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    BALTIMORE — The Broncos didn’t lose because of their second offensive snap of the day.

    They didn’t get beat by 31 points because of one single mistake.

    But when Denver got the ball first, they also couldn’t afford to turn it over against high-powered Baltimore.

    That’s just what happened, though, when rookie quarterback Bo Nix’s first pass of the day caromed off Lil’Jordan Humphrey’s hands and into the waiting arms of Ravens safety Ar’Darius Washington.

    “It was a little roll-out and I tried to go make a play,” Humphrey said afterward. “I obviously didn’t and that’s on me. I know better. I’ve got to put two hands up, you know what I mean. I’ve got to move past it and move forward and on to next week.

    “It’s a mistake on me.”

    Nix hadn’t thrown an interception since a Week 6 loss to the Los Angeles Chargers. All six of his picks, now, have come in Denver’s four losses. In those games, he has two touchdown passes. In Denver’s five wins, Nix has six touchdown passes.

    It’s the second straight week that Denver’s first possession ended because of a turnover on a play to Humphrey. He fumbled last week on a catch that eventually resulted in a Carolina touchdown drive. This week the Broncos defense actually forced a Baltimore punt, but the Ravens proceeded to score on seven straight drives after that.

    Sutton’s big day. Courtland Sutton is doing it all. And then some.

    The Broncos receiver not only logged his second straight 100-yard receiving outing — the first time in his career he’s gone back-to-back in that department — but he also threw a fourth-down touchdown pass to quarterback Bo Nix on a trick play.

    “We called it at the right time,” Nix said. “We knew they were going to be in (Cover) 0 funnel and the guy actually made a good play of retreating and trailing. Courtland looked pretty good again on that play.”

    In a Week 7 win at New Orleans, Sutton had no targets for the first time in his career. In two games since, Denver’s top pass-catcher has 15 catches (21 targets) for 222 yards.

    He’s also completed a pair of passes for 30 total yards and a touchdown.

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    Parker Gabriel

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  • Youth, competition create excitement within Broncos offense: “We have a team full of hungry dogs”

    Youth, competition create excitement within Broncos offense: “We have a team full of hungry dogs”

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    As Sean Payton embarks on his second season as the Broncos head coach, he has felt rejuvenated.

    Denver’s offense has been sprinkled with youth, sparking position battles — and not just at quarterback — as players are try to make their mark on a team that’s in the midst of a rebuild.

    “I think it’s that challenge of working with a young team,” Payton said. “I think that’s the one thing I notice at least watching. I feel the competition.”

    Courtland Sutton didn’t show up to the Broncos’ facility until mandatory minicamp, but for the two days the veteran wide receiver was on the practice field, he felt the same energy.

    He said the offense is filled with hungry players who are determined to go on the field each week to prove themselves, which is one reason there’s excitement among the players and coaches about training camp.

    Indeed, the battle between rookie Bo Nix, Jarrett Stidham and Zach Wilson for the starting quarterback job will be the highlight of the summer. But the competition at center, wide receiver and running back could be just as heated. The current state of the organization has created opportunity for first- and second-year players to step into meaningful roles this fall.

    “You have a lot of guys that are still on their rookie deal, just got drafted or (undrafted) free agents,” Sutton said. “(We have) a team full of hungry dogs.”

    Denver’s wide receivers room is filled with young players who have the potential to make an impact. After the Broncos traded wideout Jerry Jeudy to the Cleveland Browns in March, Marvin Mims Jr. has a chance to be a second option in the passing game. Denver also has rookies Troy Franklin and Devaughn Vele, both of whom could command significant playing time, depending on how they perform during training camp and preseason games.

    At running back, the one-two punch of Javonte Williams and Samaje Perine might not be guaranteed. The Broncos drafted former Notre Dame standout Audric Estime — who has been sidelined due to a knee procedure — and is viewed by Payton as a first- and second-down running back. Meanwhile, Jaleel McLaughlin and undrafted rookie Blake Watson have spent the offseason program displaying the receiving traits that Payton desires from running backs.

    With Greg Dulcich continuing to work his way back from injury, there’s an opportunity for tight end Lucas Krull to show the coaching staff that he can potentially be the pass-catching threat that the Broncos desperately need at the position.

    “It felt different this year in a good way,” Payton said of the competition level within the team.

    While there might be an emphasis on the Broncos developing their young talent, Sutton said the mid-career veterans have something to prove as well. Wide receiver Tim Patrick, who restructured the final year of his contract, is hoping to show that he can still be a reliable asset in Denver’s wide receivers room despite having back-to-back season-ending injuries — and despite the team drafting Vele, who has similar traits.

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    Ryan McFadden

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  • Russell Wilson reiterates willingness to return to Denver despite uncertainty on podcast appearance: “People think I’m out of there. Maybe I am”

    Russell Wilson reiterates willingness to return to Denver despite uncertainty on podcast appearance: “People think I’m out of there. Maybe I am”

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    Russell Wilson reiterated that he hopes to return to the Broncos in 2024 but doesn’t know whether that will happen during a podcast with former Denver wide receiver Brandon Marshall.

    Over more than 80 minutes on Marshall’s “I Am Athlete” podcast, the pair talked extensively about Wilson’s career, marriage, family and much more but they also briefly got down to brass tacks about Wilson’s current limbo with Denver.

    “For me it’s about winning. In the next five years I want to win two (Super Bowls),” Wilson said. “I want to feel the chill of that trophy again. So yeah, I want to go back to Denver. I hope I get to go back. I’d love to go back, to be honest with you. I’ve got amazing teammates.”

    Wilson, though, acknowledged he doesn’t know if that will happen. Marshall tried to get him to talk about other potential destinations, but the veteran quarterback didn’t bite.

    “I honestly haven’t really thought about it. I’m still in Denver,” he said, later adding, “If it’s not there, though, I’d go to a place where we can win again.”

    Asked if Wilson could play again for Broncos head coach Sean Payton after their first season together, he said flatly, “Yeah.”

    Most in the NFL expect, though, that Denver will release or, far less likely, find a trade partner to jettison Wilson before March 17, when $37 million in 2025 base salary would become guaranteed.

    The podcast went live Sunday night, perhaps not coincidentally, just before the NFL descends on Indianapolis for this week’s Scouting Combine. It’s a time on the calendar when a lot of business gets done and a lot of groundwork for future moves is put into place. Payton and general manager George Paton are slated to speak Tuesday morning and now Wilson’s put his stance on the record ahead of time.

    Marshall at one point joked with Wilson about where he’d live if he returned to the Broncos because of recent Business Den reporting that he and his wife, Ciara, are taking showings and accepting offers on their Cherry Hills mansion.

    “My house ain’t for sale. It’s not for sale,” Wilson said before tempering that a bit.

    “It’s not on the market right now.”

    Either way, he said he feels like he bounced back from a poor 2022 season and is planning on playing at a high level well into the future.

    “People think I’m out of there. Maybe I am, but no matter what I’d love to go back,” he said. “I committed. There. I committed to be there. I want to win more Super Bowls there. I love the city and everything else, but you also want to be at a place that wants you, too.”

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    Parker Gabriel

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