Courtland Sutton Says Contract Talks with Broncos Are at a Standstill

After skipping out on the voluntary OTA practices in May and early June, Denver Broncos wide receiver Courtland Sutton returned to the team for their mandatory minicamp practices. This wasn’t a surprise as he told DNVR Sports that he would do just that last week, but we were able to hear from him today and he made some interesting comments about his future with the team.

The big elephant in the room regarding Sutton and his return to the team was the contract extension he wants from the team. He has not received that extension and talks are still happening but as the veteran receiver said, the two sides have currently hit a stalemate.

“It’s obviously something that is, has been conversed about and my team and I have been in contact with the guys upstairs that handle all of that stuff,” the 28-year old stated, giving insight on his contract requests. “We were kind of going back and forth trying to figure out the best way to kind of find a middle ground for the situation and we are at a stalemate in a sense, but I have confidence and faith that the right thing will be done.”

Sutton was asked about not attending the voluntary OTA practices and he told reporters that he was done in Florida rehabbing his ankle that he had surgery on. He kept in contact with the team they were on the same page about him staying down there during OTA’s while he continued to get his ankle ready for the season.

“I was down in Florida doing some rehab. As you all know, I had some surgery on my ankle from the last game. I linked up with the training staff here and they sent me down in Florida to a guy that they were comfortable with. I was down there working with him and getting my ankle right. I was having a really good rehab process. Talking to the team, [Head] Coach [Sean Payton] were on the same page of me being able to stay down there and continue to get my ankle to where I need it to get to so I would ultimately be able to get ready for the season.”

He was then asked if he hopes to be part of the offensive plan moving forward and he told reporters that he hopes so and that he has been told that is what the game plan is.

“I hope so. I hope that I am a part of the bigger picture. I’ve been told that is what the gameplan is. I’ve also been told some other things. We will see what happens. I hope I am able to be a part of the gameplan.”

He continued by saying he doesn’t think this rebuild will be a three or four-year process and that he hopes to be part of the success of the team moving forward.

“I don’t see this being a three or four-year process. If it becomes a three or four-year dynasty, then I hope I will be able to be a part of it.”

Now, the Broncos have this week until the end of July and the start of training camp to reach a common ground with Sutton. The veteran wide receiver was asked if he would hold out from training camp by Andrew Mason or Denver Sports, and he said “We’ll see what happens”.

Sutton is coming off one of the best seasons of his career where he caught 10 touchdown passes and finished the season with 59 receptions for 772 yards. The reason he wants an extension is because, after this year, his guaranteed money takes a dip. It sounds like Sutton wants some security and probably a raise in money after coming off a 10-touchdown season.

It remains to be seen if the Broncos will give Sutton the extension he wants and how serious Sutton is about holding out from training camp. The Broncos did draft Marvin Mims in the second round last year, signed veteran Josh Reynolds this year, and drafted two wide receivers in the draft this past year (Troy Franklin and Devaughn Vele). So, they have depth if this holdout continues and/or the team trades him away.

I think the fact Sutton is at minicamp is a potentially good sign and hopefully, the two sides can find a common ground and agree to an extension that keeps Sutton with the team into the future. If not, things could get ugly and we could see a holdout and maybe a trade of the veteran receiver.