The Denver Broncos have been connected to another trade involving veteran wide receiver Courtland Sutton, something that has been going on for years at this point.
Sutton is a popular pick to be traded for a number of reasons and most who feel that way think the Broncos can get a decent return for a guy most people don't consider to be a true No. 1 wide receiver. Sutton is also entering the final year of his contract, and getting out of signing him to a new extension could be seen as favorable to the team.
In this trade prediction, Matthew Sullivan of Athlon Sports has the Broncos sending Sutton to the New Orleans Saints in exchange for third and fifth-round picks in next year's draft.
"New Orleans needs to add wide receiver help, especially with a lot of uncertainty surrounding Chris Olave due to health issues. The Saints don't have an abundance of cap space, but they'll use it when necessary. If they view Olave as a risk long-term, New Orleans has all the reason to acquire Sutton.
A return package of a third-round pick and a fifth-round pick would be a solid return for the 29-year-old receiver. Trading Sutton would sting in the short term, but the Broncos have the receiver depth to give Nix plenty of weapons in 2025 and beyond", wrote Sullivan.
Alex Ballentine of Bleacher Report lists Sutton as one of the Broncos' top trade assets as well and would likely agree that a trade like the one predicted here would help the Broncos in the long run. But, trading Sutton, at least anytime soon, would be a mistake.
The Broncos should not trade Courtland Sutton, at least not before the season starts
Behind Sutton, the Broncos are not only quite young, they are also quite inexperienced. For his career, Sutton has 379 receptions for 5,340 yards and 32 touchdowns. Look at the rest of the team's roster by comparison.
| Player | Years Experience | Career Receptions | Career Receiving Yards | Career TDs |
| Marvin Mims Jr. | 2 | 61 | 880 | 7 |
| Troy Franklin | 1 | 28 | 263 | 2 |
| Devaughn Vele | 1 | 41 | 475 | 3 |
| Trent Sherfield | 7 | 86 | 1,013 | 6 |
| A.T. Perry | 2 | 12 | 246 | 4 |
| Pat Bryant | Rookie | 0 | 0 | 0 |
You can combine those numbers together and they don't exceed what Sutton has done and while there is always room for young players to grow into bigger roles, it's unlike Sean Payton to have a group with that little experience and not have any kind of veteran presence out there with them.
It could also be quite detrimental to Bo Nix, especially when "sophomore slumps" are a thing in the league, to throw him out there with a group that would not include Sutton. The Broncos figure to be a contender this year, so trading away one of your best offensive weapons is not advisable.
Sutton isn't splashy. He doesn't possess the big-play ability of Ja'Marr Chase or Justin Jefferson, but he's reliable and consistent. He's also a much better overall receiver than just about anyone gives him credit for and he had a lot to do with Nix being so successful as a rookie last season.
The Broncos could easily lose Sutton to free agency following this season and that is a risk the team will have to take. The only way a trade should be made before that is if the young group of receivers behind him takes a significant leap in the first half of this season, then perhaps a trade could be considered before this year's deadline, but certainly not before that.
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