The Pittsburgh Steelers are in the market for a wide receiver. Many of the trade rumors have centered on San Francisco 49ers WR Brandon Aiyuk, but another candidate is emerging as a potential trade option leading up to the draft. Denver Broncos WR Courtland Sutton did not report for the voluntary workouts this week for the start of the offseason training program, and is seeking a new contract, per Tom Pelissero on X.
“Sutton is going on his 10th starting QB in seven seasons and has only $2 million guaranteed left on his deal. He had 10 TDs in 2023 while ranking 56th in targets,” wrote Pelissero.
The connection between Sutton and Steelers QB Russell Wilson is obvious. They spent the last two years together in Denver. Over those two seasons, Sutton had 123 receptions for 1,601 yards and 12 touchdowns. Sutton signed a four-year, $60.8 million extension in 2021, and has two years of team control remaining. As Pelissero mentioned, he has just $2 million of guarantees left on that deal.
The Broncos traded WR Jerry Jeudy to the Cleveland Browns prior to free agency for a fifth- and sixth-round pick. With Wilson already out the door, Sutton saw the offense he is scheduled to play on get significantly less talented. The Broncos are also in a salary cap bind due to the guarantees that are still being paid to Wilson from the large extension he received two years ago.
Sutton was a second-round pick in the NFL 2018 Draft by the Broncos. At the 2018 NFL Scouting Combine, Sutton measured in at 6033, 218 pounds, with 32 3/8-inch arms. He ran the 40-yard dash in 4.54 seconds and had a solid 35.5-inch vertical. He has broken the 1,000-yard mark just once in his career, back in 2019 when he was named to his first and only Pro Bowl roster.
His base salary is $13 million, and the Steelers have just a little over $12 million in cap space, per Dave Bryan’s latest salary cap update, so they would need to make some moves to accommodate such a trade. He also has $500,000 in per-game roster bonuses. Given that he has two years of team control, the Steelers would have more options to rework his deal and lower the 2024 cap hit. It would also likely be a much less costly trade in terms of draft capital than if they engage in talks with the 49ers.
Recently, NFL insider Jason La Canfora stated on a podcast that the Steelers are “trying to make something happen” at the WR position. He noted that those conversations could last all the way until the Steelers are on the clock in the first round nine days from now.
