Broncos had to pay Sutton, but hopefully this is start of spending spree

The Denver Broncos did the right thing on Monday.

It was time to pay wide receiver Courtland Sutton.

He was doing very little in some training camp practices, making it clear he wanted a new deal before the work for the 2025 season really ramped up.

And the Broncos showed Sutton the money, giving him an extension reportedly worth $92 million that will kick in after this year. There’s a pretty good chance Sutton plays his whole career in Denver, and GM George Paton and head coach Sean Payton couldn’t risk ticking off Bo Nix’s No. 1 target.

Some folks might balk at the length of the deal, Sutton will be 34-years-old when it expires, but like all NFL contracts the Broncos can probably get out of it after a couple of years if it doesn’t age well. And Sutton will get $41 million guaranteed either way, so it’s a win for both sides.

Still, Sutton being the No. 1 priority is a little curious.

Edge-rusher Nik Bonitto was in the Defensive Player of the Year conversation until December last year. He scored touchdowns against the Colts and Browns to go along with his 13.5 sacks. We haven’t seen a Broncos defender at that position have such a nose for the football since the likes of Von Miller.

Let’s hope now that Sutton is taken care of, Bonitto soon follows along with the likes of Zach Allen and John Franklin-Myers. All three guys deserve extensions, hopefully before Week 1 against the Titans.

There’s two pieces of good news…

One, the Walton-Penner Family Ownership group (WPFOG) isn’t afraid to dish out cash. We’ve seen Pat Surtain II, Quinn Meinerz, Jonathon Cooper, Garett Bolles and now Sutton all get paid. There’s no reason Bonitto, Allen and Franklin-Myers can’t be next.

And two, Payton is a cap genius. He’s very smart at navigating one of the weakest salary caps in all of sports. There are ways to get creative, and with the WPFOG having nearly unlimited pockets, a lot of these contracts can be structured with heavy bonuses that don’t hurt the cap as much.

All of Sutton’s Broncos teammates said and posted the right things on social media on Monday. But you have to think privately some key pieces on Denver’s defense are wondering when it’s their turn.

Luckily, these things can happen in waves. With Sutton figured out, Paton, Payton and CEO Greg Penner can turn their attention elsewhere. The fact Bonitto, for example, has made just a little more than $3 million in his NFL career is absolutely wild. As noted before, that’s a ton of money in the real world, but not for his production on Sundays.

It sounds a little greedy wanting so much money handed out so fast, but the Broncos are entering a legitimate Super Bowl window. That’s what happens when Nix will be under a rookie contract for at least the next three years.

You can bet the powers at be at Broncos Park Powered by CommonSpirit realize as much. This isn’t the NBA, teams can skip steps and get hot at the right time on their way to a championship.

That could happen as soon as this year for Denver, but getting Bonitto, Allen and Franklin-Myers in a good headspace before the start of the season is critical.

Again, this isn’t questioning if the Broncos will spend money, they will. But with the calendar set to read August by the end of the week, there needs to be a big sense of urgency.

Now that the Sutton domino has fallen, let’s root for a ton of contract action over the coming weeks. After all, feeding one mouth is nice, but there’s still business to be done.

Broncos Country will be watching with appropriate curiosity.

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