WR Courtland Sutton No-Shows First Day of Denver Broncos Workouts

Denver Broncos wide receiver Courtland Sutton did not report for the first day of his team’s optional offseason workouts on Tuesday, as Sutton is looking for a new contract, according to a report by Tom Pelissero of NFL Network.

#Broncos WR Courtland Sutton did not report Monday for voluntary workouts as he seeks a new contract, per source.

Sutton is going on his 10th starting QB in seven seasons and has only $2 million guaranteed left on his deal. He had 10 TDs in 2023 while ranking 56th in targets. pic.twitter.com/93rA35XdM4

— Tom Pelissero (@TomPelissero) April 16, 2024

The club’s second-round pick out of SMU in the 2018 NFL Draft, Sutton has spent all six of his NFL seasons in Denver. Nearing the end of his rookie contract, Sutton signed a new four-year, $60.8 million contract with the Broncos in 2021.

Sutton has two years remaining on that deal. He is set to make $13.6 million this season and $14 million next season before becoming a free agent in 2026. Only $2 million of that salary this season is guaranteed, and none in 2025.

Sutton has been consistently productive over the course of his career, despite near-constant changeover at the quarterback position. Outside of his 2020 season, in which he played only one game before suffering a season-ending ACL injury, Sutton has caught at least 40 passes for at least 700 yards every other year. 

He best season came in 2019, when he earned a Pro Bowl nod after catching 72 of 124 targets for 1,112 yards and six touchdowns with the combination of Joe Flacco, Drew Lock and Brandon Allen as his starting quarterbacks.

The revolving door at quarterback continued with Teddy Bridgewater, Jeff Driskel, Brett Rypien, Jarrett Stidham and Russell Wilson and even wide receiver Kendall Hinton starting games at quarterback for Denver over the last four seasons.

The Broncos appear to be solidly rebuilding after moving on from Wilson and choosing to eat most of salary cap hit this offseason. They also traded Sutton’s teammate Jerry Jeudy to the Cleveland Browns earlier this offseason, a move that Sutton expressed his disapproval with over social media.

The Steelers have been in the market for a wide receiver since trading Diontae Johnson to the Carolina Panthers in March. They’ve struck out on free agents Mike Williams and Tyler Boyd, missing on Williams, who signed with the Jets, and reaching a negotiating impasse with Boyd. The Steelers have also kicked the tires on San Francisco star Brandon Aiyuk, who the 49ers insist they are not trading.

Sutton would make sense thanks to his consistent production and built-in connection with Wilson, who figures to start for the Steelers, at least to start the 2024 season. 

RELATED: Broncos WR Courtland Sutton Could Make Sense for Steelers

Broncos WR Courtland Sutton Could Make Sense for Steelers

A trade of Sutton before June 1 would leave Denver with a $7.65 million dead cap hit. A post-June 1 trade would reduce it to $3.825 million this season, though with the Broncos absorbing Wilson’s hit this season, it’s unclear if they would even want to spread the hit into a future season.

A team acquiring Sutton will be on the hook for his salary, which is set to be $13 million in 2024 and $13.5 million in 2025. He is also due $470,576 in per-game roster bonuses this year and $500,000 in per-game roster bonuses next year and can earn $100,000 in incentives. But again, none of that is guaranteed outside of $2 million of his 2024 salary, and his contract could be renegotiated by an acquiring team.

The Steelers have about $12.1 million in offseason salary cap space, and would likely need to make a move to clear space to add Sutton.