According to ESPN’s Dan Graziano, the Broncos “aren’t hanging up the phone when teams call them about receivers Jerry Jeudy and Courtland Sutton” despite HC Sean Payton saying recently that he expects them both to be back with the team.
Graziano explains that Denver needs draft picks and knows they could get a decent return for either Sutton or Jeudy.
However, the Broncos are still asking a lot for their receivers and no deal appears to be close at this time.
Meanwhile, Jeremy Fowler adds that trade talks could intensify leading up to the draft. While the Broncos haven’t shut down teams expressing interest in Jeudy and Suttion, he says there’s “no real traction to a deal right now.”
Earlier in the week, Payton told Tom Pelissero of NFL Media that they are not trading either Sutton or Jeudy, despite the trade rumors this offseason.
“I see and read just like everyone else does,” Payton said. “Then occasionally, when someone really crowds the plate, I throw a fastball right at their chin, and they back up, and they’re like, ‘Alright.’ And so I haven’t thrown any fastballs lately, but we’re not trading those two players.”
Payton did, however, explain that they take calls on players and it’s part of their job.
“When people call and the phone rings like it does this time of year, (general manager) George Paton’s job is to pick it up and say, ‘Hey. Tell you what, we’re not.’ And so, we’ve received calls, you bet. Those are two good football players. But we’re in the business of gathering talent right now. Why do people call? Because they know we’re void of draft picks and that we might, because there was some discussions a year ago, I think, regarding Courtland. But we like the current group that we’re working with,” Payton said.
Jeudy, 23, is a former first-round pick of the Broncos back in 2020. He’s in the final year of his four-year, $15.192 million deal that included an $8.61 million signing bonus.
The Broncos will have a fifth-year option to pick up on Jeudy in the coming months.
In 2022, Jeudy appeared in 15 games for the Broncos and caught 67 passes for 972 yards receiving and six touchdowns.
Sutton, 27, was taken with the No. 40 overall pick out of SMU by the Broncos in 2018. He was in the final year of his four-year, $7,071,926 contract that included a $3,223,320 signing bonus when he agreed to a four-year, $60.8 million extension.
In 2022, Sutton appeared in 15 games for the Broncos and caught 64 passes for 829 yards receiving and two touchdowns.
We’ll have more regarding the Broncos as the news is available.
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