ENGLEWOOD — George Paton had little hesitation in extending two of the Broncos’ core players, in wide receivers Courtland Sutton and Tim Patrick.
The first general manager wasted little time to sign the two to long-term deals, inking Patrick’s three-year, $30 million ($34.5 million max value) contract on Friday and Sutton’s four-year, $60.8 million contract on Monday. Patrick’s includes $18.5 million guaranteed and Sutton’s $34.9 million, meaning the two playmakers are both locked in until at least 2023.
“Once guys get out in the open market, you never know. And these were two players we really wanted to lock up,” Paton said. “Both these players are contagious to our whole locker room. If you let those guys go, you have no chance. And those are the kinds of guys everyone looks up to.”
The two deals may come as a surprise to some, with many believing the Broncos might choose to only keep one of Sutton and Patrick, with both being on expiring contracts. But Paton said, “All along, we wanted both and that was our priority, to get both done.”
The contracts weren’t as expensive as first expected, either, as Patrick will be the 27th highest-paid receiver per year and Sutton 17th, according to Over The Cap. And the Broncos will still have plenty of cap space in 2022 to pursue other free agents, having $70,578,414 to work with, which ranks fourth in the NFL.
“We have the resources to do whatever we want moving forward,” Paton said. “We’re going to have a lot of cap room, we’re going to have cash, we have 11 draft picks — so we have a lot of flexibility.”
While Patrick’s deal came first, Sutton has been a priority of the Broncos for some time.
Sutton, 26, was drafted by the Broncos in the second round of the 2018 NFL Draft and has been one of Denver's top receivers since, making a Pro Bowl in 2019. He's caught 160 passes for 2,499 yards and 12 touchdowns in four years, despite missing nearly all last season with a torn ACL. Sutton’s 2,499 receiving yards rank third-most by a Bronco receiver through his first 43 career games, trailing only Demaryius Thomas (2,796 yards) and Brandon Marshall (2,667 yards). This season, the team captain has 43 receptions for 617 yards and two touchdowns.
“This is home. Denver gave me an opportunity,” Sutton said. “Getting drafted was one of the best days of my life and I’ve always said being a Bronco was something I wanted to do for life. To be able to have this opportunity, it’s a blessing. I’m honored to be able to represent the Denver Broncos and continue to represent the Denver Broncos.”
Patrick’s story is a little different as few expected him to become one of the best receivers in the NFL after he went undrafted out of Utah in 2017.
Since then, he’s made a name for himself in four years with the Broncos, totaling 127 receptions for 1,798 yards and 11 touchdowns. In his last 25 games, he’s totaled 1,265 yards, 88 receptions and 10 touchdowns. He has 53 receptions, 523 yards and four touchdowns this season through 10 games, making him one of the Broncos’ most dependable receivers in recent history.
“This is something you can only dream of, being undrafted and starting from the bottom,” Patrick said. “There was just a lot of levels, a lot of patience and a lot of self-motivation to get to where I’m at now. And like I said, I couldn’t have dreamed of something like this. I’m very thankful.
“Why would I want to leave somewhere that believed in me?”
For Paton, coach Vic Fangio and the Broncos, Sutton and Patrick are not only key players, but they're also guys they want in their locker room moving forward.
“Thought that George and (Vice President of Football Administration) Rich (Hurtado), in particular, did a great job getting those deals done,” coach Vic Fangio said. “I'm just really happy for Tim. He's the type of player every team wants. He's tough, he's competitive, he's prideful, he's all about the team and it was great that we rewarded him for that. It's great for Courtland, too. Obviously, his production and play since he's been here speak for itself. And we think he's going to continue to improve both as he plays more and just from experience and getting over his injury from last year.
“These are two great guys, great teammates and those are the type of players you want to reward. You want guys that are all about the team, and those two guys are all about the team besides being great players. … Guys want to be here. They like playing for the Broncos. It's a win-win for everybody.”
Looking ahead, Paton’s ambition in keeping both players could be a signal that the Broncos might be looking for a franchise quarterback this offseason if they decide to move on from Teddy Bridgewater — whether that’s through the draft, free agency, or the trade market. And there could be a few notable names available, from soon-to-be rookies Matt Coral at Ole Miss and Kenny Pickett at Pittsburgh, to likely future Hall of Famers Aaron Rodgers with the Packers and Russell Wilson with the Seahawks.
So, will Sutton, Patrick and Jerry Jeudy, who is in the second year of his rookie deal, be enough to entice a big-name quarterback to Denver?
Maybe. Maybe not.
“We were just trying to get better as a football team and win games,” Paton said when asked if the moves were motivated by a potential pursuit of a quarterback. “These guys help us win football games. You can’t have enough weapons, and now we have two really good ones — we have three with Jeudy and then some younger guys. We like where we’re at in that position.”
It’s yet to be seen if that’s the true reasoning behind the extensions, but this is for sure: Paton values keeping homegrown players. Since being hired last January, he’s shown that time and again, first with extending safety Justin Simmons and defensive tackle Shelby Harris, and now with Sutton and Patrick.
“You want to take care of the guys who do it the right way,” Paton said. “What it does is it gives guys like (running back) Javonte Williams, (cornerback) Patrick Surtain II and all the young guys — and they look up to that and they see how these guys work. So when you reward the guys who work the hardest, the young guys are watching. I think it rubs off (and) it really helps your culture moving forward.”
Now, it’s up to those two — who are fully bought into the Broncos’ future — and other long-term veterans, to help this organization return to its former glory.
“For them to believe in us that we’re the guys, it’s on us to go prove them right,” Sutton said. “This being my fourth season and us unfortunately not making the playoffs, knowing that talent that we’ve had, especially right now with the talent we have — every game is an opportunity. We have seven left. If we take care of what we’re supposed to take care of, we’ll like where we’re at at the end of that and we’ll get that taste of a playoff game.
“It’s hard to even put into words how bad we want that. How bad we want that for us, the team, for the city. It’s been way overdue.”