Courtland Sutton Reports Contract ‘Stalemate’, Still Hopeful for Long-Term Deal with Broncos
Courtland Sutton says he is in a contract "stalemate," but remains hopeful of a long-term deal with the Denver Broncos.
Denver Broncos wide receiver Courtland Sutton said he and the team have reached a “stalemate” in contract negotiations, but he has reported to the team’s mandatory minicamp and remain hopeful that a long-term deal can be reached.
Sutton spoke to the media in Denver after the team’s first minicamp session on Tuesday, and said that his decision to stay away from OTAs was about both his contract — Sutton is seeking a new deal with more guaranteed money — and rehabbing a late-season ankle injury. But there was no chance in his mind of skipping mandatory minicamp.
“Obviously, I’m here,” he said. “I wanted to make sure it was known that, yeah, I was upset about how the contract went about, how the conversation went about. How the stalemate has persisted. But I also wanted it to be known that I love ball.”
Sutton signed a four-year, $60.8 million contract extension with the Broncos in 2021 that has two seasons remaining. The 28-year-old is set to earn $13.6 million this season and $14 million next season in the final two years of the deal, but only $2 million of that is guaranteed.
Sutton is seeking some long-term stability, and said he’d like that to happen in Denver.
“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 said.
“Hopefully, things get situated, because as you all have heard, I will continue to say this is where I want to be, this is home, this is where I want to go hoist the Lombardi Trophy, this is where I want to retire, this is where I want to have a bid at the Bronco Ring of Honor.”
That’s probably not a line that Pittsburgh Steelers fans hoping for a wide receiver trade want to hear. The Steelers have been seeking a wide receiver since trading Diontae Johnson to the Carolina Panthers earlier this offseason, and have been repeatedly linked to Sutton, San Francisco 49ers star Brandon Aiyuk and others in their search.
But so far, the receivers causing the biggest problems have come from within the AFC North, with Tee Higgins and Amari Cooper skipping Cincinnati Bengals and Cleveland Browns minicamp, but it’s very unlikely either team would make a trade to help the Steelers.
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