ENGLEWOOD, Colo. — The Broncos' talented receiving corps will remain intact.
Denver agreed to terms on a four-year contract with wide receiver Courtland Sutton that is scheduled to keep the Pro Bowler with the Broncos through 2025, the team announced Monday.
Sutton's new deal comes just days after the Broncos signed wide receiver Tim Patrick to a new three-year contract.
"Courtland is one of our core players and among the best wide receivers in the NFL," General Manager George Paton said. "With his combination of size, speed, athleticism and work-ethic, Courtland is a special talent and an integral part of what we are building. It's been a key priority to make sure he's a Bronco well into the future. We're thrilled to reach an agreement on this extension and look forward to Courtland's continued growth and impact for the Broncos."
Sutton, a second-round pick in 2018, has developed into one of the offense's top playmakers and one of the team's most valued leaders. The 6-foot-4, 216-pound player ranks third in team history for the most receiving yards through a player's first 43 games, and he is fourth in receptions and tied for eighth in touchdowns for that same time frame. Only Demaryius Thomas and Brandon Marshall rank higher in receiving yards through a player's first 43 games.
In his 2021 return from an ACL tear, Sutton has posted a pair of 100-yard games, including a career-high nine catches for 159 yards in a Week 2 win over Jacksonville. He has recorded at least five catches in five games this year, and he leads the Broncos in receptions, receiving yards, yards per catch and big plays. Sutton is tied for third on the team with two touchdown receptions this year.
Sutton's 2021 performance is a return to the form he showed during the 2019 season. In his Pro Bowl campaign, Sutton caught 72 passes for 1,112 yards and six touchdowns as he took on a larger role for the Broncos. He previously started nine games as a rookie, and he was thrust into the spotlight over the final stretch of the 2018 season after Denver traded Demaryius Thomas and Emmanuel Sanders suffered a season-ending injury. Sutton caught 42 passes for 704 yards and four touchdowns during his rookie season.
During his breakout 2019 season, Sutton posted a pair of 100-yard games and again saw his role elevated after the Broncos traded Sanders midway through the season.
The SMU product's encore performance was cut short after just 31 snaps in 2020, as he missed the team's opening game with a shoulder injury and then tore his ACL in Week 2. Sutton has started all 10 games for the Broncos this season and played 86 percent of the team's offensive snaps.
In his return to the field, Sutton has aimed to be the Broncos' emotional leader and big-play manufacturer.
"I use the term 'being the spoon,'" Sutton said. "When you make some chocolate milk, you have regular milk and you put the chocolate in there. You have to have the spoon and stir it up. I always use that term of being the spoon. I look at myself as a guy who wants to go out there and be the spoon and go out there and make a big play to get the offense going and get some juice going."
Sutton has posted 35 receptions of at least 25 yards during his career, which ranks seventh in the NFL in big plays per game since he entered the league. His 15.6 yards per reception also rank fifth in the NFL since 2018.
With Sutton and Patrick in Denver for the next several years, two key pieces of the Broncos' receiving corps will remain in place. Jerry Jeudy, Denver's 2020 first-round pick, is under contract through 2023, and the Broncos then hold a team option for 2024. KJ Hamler, the team's second-round pick in the same draft, is under contract through 2023.
For the foreseeable future, the Broncos' wide receiving group will remain one of the team strengths. And with a new four-year deal, Sutton will lead the way.
