It certainly was an eventful 2022 season for the Denver Broncos, and not in a good way. From welcoming in Russell Wilson to having Nathaniel Hackett be a one-and-done head coach, plenty needs to be fixed for this franchise heading into the 2023 NFL season – and the easiest way to do that is via a trade.
Sean Payton was brought into town on a lucrative deal to replace Hackett, and he may just be the right option to get Wilson back on track. With his struggles last year definitely still fresh on his mind, it is fair to wonder just how much of that will impact him this season.
Wilson has an above-average set of weapons around him but still could use more. With a strong offensive line that saw a few additions this offseason in free agency, things are starting to shape up for the Broncos.
Constructive thinking would lean towards expecting Denver to want to add to their team, not subtract. But being tight on money puts them in a position to need to shave off a few pounds, which is why it makes sense to pull from their wide receiver group.
Courtland Sutton
Honorable mentions go out to Randy Gregory and fellow wideout Jerry Jeudy on the list of moveable pieces, but the top honor goes to Courtland Sutton, who has the second-highest cap hit ($18,266,176) on the entire team. Only topped by Wilson in terms of his salary positioning, Sutton counts for more than seven percent of the team’s total payroll, a number that is far too high for an oft-injured WR.
Sutton still holds an important role in the Denver offense, as seen by his 64/829/2 stat line in his first year catching passes from Wilson. While the Broncos likely don’t want to lose a talent like Sutton, they certainly should be looking to move on from the 27-year-old receiver.
By moving Sutton, the Broncos would incur dead cap hits of $3.825 million (2023) and $7.65 million (2024) over the next two seasons, but save over $14.4 million on their total cap for this year. That amount of money would help them find the room not only to have the flexibility for a bit more offseason spending, they would also be able to have some money to dedicate towards signing their pending rookie class.
There is a lot riding on the rest of this offseason for the Broncos, and they cannot afford to struggle at any point during Payton’s tenure. With Wilson needing to overcome and forget his terrible year last year, moving a trusted WR like Sutton may seem like a move in the wrong direction.
But Denver needs to regain some financial flexibility, and if that costs them Sutton, then they will just need to count on Jeudy and Tim Patrick more, plus a potential rookie. With as tough as the AFC West looks like it will be in 2023, Denver can ill-afford to take up the rear – so a strong finish to their offseason is important.
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