Star Broncos WR Could Be on Steelers Radar Near Trade Deadline
The Pittsburgh Steelers missed out on Brandon Aiyuk, but could another top-flight wide receiver be on their radar? Jeremy Fowler of ESPN thinks so. He believes the Steelers will entertain a mid-season trade for Denver Broncos wide receiver Courtland Sutton.
“Pittsburgh will also likely monitor the landscape for potential developments leading up to the trade deadline. Several teams have tried to trade for Denver’s Courtland Sutton, but the Broncos have not been willing to trade him … so far. Perhaps Pittsburgh will entertain a reunion between Sutton and Wilson,” Fowler wrote.
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.
So far, the Broncos have been unwilling to trade Sutton, despite multiple teams calling about him. The Steelers were reportedly one of the teams in the mix for Sutton.
Dianna Russini of The Athletic reported that the San Francisco 49ers only were willing to trade Aiyuk if they could get a top-flight wide receiver to replace him. They offered a third-round pick to Denver for Sutton, and then would’ve dealt Aiyuk to the Steelers, but the Broncos declined the offer.
“I’m going to say in the last three months, there have been multiple teams call about Courtland,” Payton told reporters on Monday, via Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk. “He’s a good football player. It’s a little bit of a stretch relative to the specifics. I read the same thing you read, and I would say we didn’t get nearly as far down the road as what may have been reported. It’s insignificant. For me to comment on every call that comes in to [General Manager] George [Paton] or myself would be ludicrous.”
Sutton is rooting for Russell Wilson in Pittsburgh. He believes his former quarterback was just dealt a bad hand in Denver.
“That was a tough pill to swallow. You see the writing on the wall, I think they made a business decision moving Russ,” Sutton said on the DNVR Sports Podcast in June. “I’m so happy for Russ. For him to get picked up as soon as he did, I think it speaks to the caliber of player he is. I think it speaks to the caliber of person he is, and the way he goes about his work and business. I think that’s something Pittsburgh saw and ultimately knew they couldn’t pass up on.”
With Sutton’s connection to Wilson, a mid-season trade seems plausible. That’s if Payton is willing to deal Sutton. The Steelers are going to see how the likes of Van Jefferson, Calvin Austin III, Roman Wilson and Scotty Miller work out, but Sutton obviously would be a massive upgrade.
Russell Wilson will return to the Mile High City to face his former team in Week 2. The Steelers also will get a good look at Sutton for a potential trade near the trade deadline.
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