Courtland Sutton made his return on Tuesday as the Denver Broncos took the field for the first day of the team’s mandatory minicamp. While Sutton’s return was a welcome sight, he and the Broncos still have to find a middle ground as he looks to receive a new contract.

Denver Broncos, Courtland Sutton must find middle ground

Courtland Sutton was present and front and center on Tuesday at Broncos Park powered by CommonSpirit as the Denver Broncos reported for their first day of mandatory minicamp.

After holding out this offseason in hopes of receiving more guaranteed money on the remaining two years of his contract, the Broncos’ top veteran wide receiver was back in orange and blue.

Skipping mandatory minicamp comes with hefty fines, and Sutton certainly could have done that, but he decided to show up to practice. We see it far too often where teams do what’s best for them but somehow vilify players for looking out for their best interest in the long term.

His arrival at mandatory minicamp should be viewed as a move made in good faith. He participated in team stretch and individual drills before spending the rest of practice on the team’s side field working on conditioning, although he doesn’t really need to, considering he’s been training intensely this offseason in Florida.

“I was down in Florida doing some rehab,” Sutton said on Tuesday following practice. “As you all know, I had some surgery on my ankle from the last game. I linked up with the training staff here and they sent me down in Florida to a guy that they were comfortable with. I was down there working with him and getting my ankle right. I was having a really good rehab process. Talking to the team, [Head] Coach [Sean Payton] were on the same page of me being able to stay down there and continue to get my ankle to where I need it to get to so I would ultimately be able to get ready for the season.”

Coming off of a ten-touchdown season, Sutton is looking to build on his performance last season and cash in based on the current market value based on his production, excluding Justin Jefferson’s mega-deal in Minnesota.

If Sutton and the team can find middle a middle ground that makes sense for both sides, both parties can move forward. Regardless, Sutton wants to be part of what the Broncos future entails.

“I hope so,” Sutton said. “I hope that I am a part of the bigger picture. I’ve been told that is what the gameplan is. I’ve also been told some other things. We will see what happens. I hope I am able to be a part of the gameplan. I also don’t see that it will be a soft reset. I’m praying and also working towards and hopefully stay in guys’ ears that this is not going to be a three-year process. We want to win right now. Whoever winds up coming out, if it is [QB] Bo [Nix], if it is [QB] Jarrett [Stidham] or if it is [QB] Zach [Wilson], whoever winds up coming out will give us the best chance to win. I think with Bo being a young guy and a guy they took really high, I understand the politics of the game and everyone is rooting for him to be the guy. I think he does a lot of things really well and I think he has the ability to go out and have success early. I don’t see this being a three or four-year process. If it becomes a three or four-year dynasty, then I hope I will be able to be a part of it.”

Bo Nix, Jarrett Stidham, and Zach Wilson will all benefit at the QB position if they have a player like Courtland Sutton to throw to.