“I’m open and optimistic about the fact that I’ll be able to be here for the rest of my career,” Sutton added. The timeline for Sutton’s extension has been downplayed a bit by the Broncos this offseason and it sounds like they’re probably just waiting to figure out what happens in the draft to lock down a figure. Sutton was an unhappy camper last season after getting only a band-aid adjustment to his contract, but responded with one of the best seasons of his career.

Payton said he expects Sutton to be at the team’s offseason activities once they ramp up in the coming months. Sutton is coming off one of his best seasons as a pro. The soon-to-be eighth-year vet caught 81 passes for 1,081 yards and eight touchdowns, surpassing the 1,000-yard mark for just the second time in his career. He’s in the final year of a revised two-year contract that he signed last offseason and currently counts as $20.2 million toward the cap. He’ll turn 30 in October and should still have plenty to offer the Broncos if they opt to keep him for the next several seasons.

Sutton undoubtedly wants a raise or an extension after moping through OTAs last offseason and only getting some bandaid incentives added to his deal. Sean Payton also addressed a question on Sutton by saying “all of that will happen in time.” We don’t have a great idea what the timeline looks like for a Sutton extension, but it’s clear Denver’s brass is treating it as a priority this offseason.

In other words, he’ll want a raise or an extension. Kosmider compares Sutton to Calvin Ridley and notes that an extension could help lower his $20.2 million cap figure for 2025. Sutton will enter his age-30 season in 2025 and spent OTAs last offseason working out on his own to send a message about wanting a new deal, getting only some bandaid incentives, so a holdout can’t be completely ruled out. Kosmider also notes that the Broncos could also consider trading Sutton if they believed in the growth of their other young receivers like Marvin Mims Jr., Troy Franklin, and Devaughn Vele. “The Broncos received significant interest in Sutton as a potential trade target last offseason, and his value will likely increase if Denver wants to revisit that market this offseason,” Kosmider adds.