As he seeks a new deal, Courtland Sutton has been absent from the Broncos’ organized team activities. That situation will change next week. 
The veteran receiver said during a Thursday appearance on a DNVR Sports podcast that he will take part in the team’s upcoming mandatory minicamp. The final stage of Denver’s offseason program will run from June 11-13, and head coach Sean Payton previously stated he expected Sutton to attend. By doing so, the latter will not be subject to roughly $100K in fines.
“I will be there,” Sutton said of minicamp (via Chris Tomasson of the Denver Gazette). “A small tidbit. It’s been killing me not being able to be at [OTAs]. This has been a very different offseason since I’ve been a part of since I’ve been in this league. Anybody that knows me and anybody that’s played with me understands that I love this game.”
The 28-year-old has two years remaining on his contract. That includes a 2024 base salary of $13MM, $2MM of which is guaranteed. Next year’s base compensation ($13.5MM) does not contain any money locked in. Sutton is believed to be aiming for a bump in pay for the immediate term in lieu of an extension. An AAV in the $15-16MM range is his reported target, and Mike Klis of 9News confirms a raise is still being sought out.
No progress on negotiations regarding a new arrangement have been made, however, meaning Sutton could wind up playing out the 2024 season on his deal as currently constructed. The former Pro Bowler has fallen well down the pecking order at the WR position, with the 2024 offseason seeing a new wave of monster extensions (with more likely soon to follow).
The SMU alum led the Broncos in receiving last season, his fifth with at least 700 yards. Sutton has topped 1,000 only once in his career, but he was on the radar of interested teams leading up to the trade deadline and the draft. Denver does not wish to move him, nor is he seeking a new team. A key role should await Sutton in 2024 as the Broncos start the second year of the Sean Payton era with a new quarterback (likely first-round rookie Bo Nix) in place.
The Broncos have invested at the receiver spot this offseason with the free agent addition of Josh Reynolds and the selection of Troy Franklin and Devaughn Vele in the fourth and seventh rounds of the draft. Those newcomers, along with veteran Tim Patrick and 2023 second-rounder Marvin Mims, will vie for playing time this summer in a receiver room which no longer includes Jerry Jeudy. Sutton will be counted on as a leader for that group, but it remains to be seen if his contract will be adjusted before the start of the campaign.