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Brandon Aiyuk and the San Francisco 49ers had the league wondering everyday if the wide receiver was going to get traded or just sign a contract extension. Through the possibility of trades, several teams such as the Pittsburgh Steelers, Cleveland Browns, and the Washington Commanders were mentioned as having interest in Aiyuk. Once the 49ers officially signed him to a contract extension, reports came out that a three-team trade involving Denver Broncos wide receiver Courtland Sutton was almost pulled off.
Broncos head coach Sean Payton responded to those rumors, saying that the deal didn't get far, according to reporter Andrew Mason.
“Probably in the last 3 months multiple teams have called about Courtland Sutton,” Payton said.
When asked about the 49ers trade, Payton said “We didn't get nearly as far down the road as may have been reported.”
The original report of the trade came from The Athletic's Diana Russini.
“The 49ers only were willing to trade Brandon Aiyuk if they could get a top-flight WR to replace him. They offered a third-round pick to Denver for Courtland Sutton, and then would’ve dealt Aiyuk to the Steelers, but the Broncos declined the offer… So, he stays in SF,” Russini said on X, formerly Twitter.
Broncos not interested in trading Courtland Sutton
There have been several teams that have been looking to trade for Courtland Sutton, and it goes all the way back to last season. The Baltimore Ravens tried to trade for the Denver Broncos wide receiver, and at a point, it looked like a deal was in place, but the Broncos decided against it, according to The Athletic's Jeff Zrebiec. That led to the Ravens signing Odell Beckham Jr.
The Broncos restructured Sutton's contract in the offseason that could pay him up to $15.2 million this season with $1.5 million in new incentives. Sutton stayed professional through the process after asking for a pay raise, going to mandatory minicamp and training camp.
Sutton had one of his best seasons last year with the Broncos with 772 receiving yards and 10 touchdowns, thanks to the quarterback play of Russell Wilson. Through Sutton's career with the Broncos, the quarterback position has always been up in the air, but this season he should get off to a good start with rookie Bo Nix, who won the starting job during the preseason.
If the Broncos had traded Sutton, they would have been thin at wide receiver, and that may have not been good for Nix coming into the season. Instead, he has a reliable receiver he can count on throughout the season and build chemistry with him early. With his new deal and Sean Payton downplaying the rumors, Sutton shouldn't be in trade rumors for a while, and he can focus on the Broncos.
