Courtland Sutton’s absence from voluntary workouts this month might raise some eyebrows.

For Sean Payton and George Paton, though, the veteran wide receiver skipping April work isn’t anything to get worked up about.

“It’s 100% voluntary. It’s the first week of the offseason program,” Paton said Thursday. “Sean’s talked to Courtland. I’ve talked to Courtland. He’s in a good place and we’ll just leave it at that.”

Sutton has two years left on his contract and just $2 million guaranteed of the $27.6 million total remaining on the four-year extension he signed in November 2021.

Aside from Sutton, almost every other player on the Broncos roster has been in town.

“Man, the turnout has been great,” Payton said. “I’d say probably 98%. Two or three individuals that weren’t here and I’ve talked with all of them.”

Denver will be mostly in the weight room and in meetings until a rookie minicamp a couple of weeks after the draft and then once OTAs begin May 21.

Phase 1 goals. In the meantime, Payton said the team is basically pitching to players why it’s good for them to work out in Denver rather than at their offseason homes.

“It’s optional to be here and I think the player today wants to be somewhere where, man, they are getting a real good workout, they’re getting food, all the things that go into it. The recovery if it’s a player coming off of injury. You want them to feel like they’re getting that compared to where they normally do that in the offseason,” he said. “If they feel like the place that they’re coming from is accomplishing more than when they get here, then that’s not good.”

Payton said a big part of the pitch is that Denver went from last in the NFL in games missed to injury in 2022 to right at the top of the league last year.

“I don’t want them, when they pull in the parking lot, feeling like they’re coming to practice,” Payton said. “I want them to feel like they’re coming to get into shape and to take care of their bodies and that part of it’s been good.”

Kickoff rule impact. One interesting subplot to the 2024 NFL season is the experimental kickoff rule aimed at increasing the amount of return chances per game. Players will align much differently than they have in the past, which changes what teams look for both in terms of blockers and tacklers, but also potentially in returners.

“There’s a little unknown,” Payton said. “The distance traveled is going to be not as far, so if you’re covering a kick, speed was fairly important as a coverage unit and getting down the field and getting to the ball-carrier. We’ve taken that whole group and said, ‘OK, we’re putting you guys 10 yards away (from the returner).’ I think we could see a little bit of a heavier unit.

“And it’s certainly going to put a premium on your two returners.”

The Broncos were among the 29 teams that voted to implement the change on a one-year trial basis last month at the spring ownership meetings.

“We were for it for a lot of reasons,” Payton said. “We feel like we’re one of the better special teams units. We made a lot of gains there. We’ve got a good returner. Certainly as you look at the personnel, though, the blocking schemes as you return it, this is going to evolve quickly, I think.”

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The last thing an NFL decision-maker is going to do one week before the draft is tip their team’s hand.

Broncos head coach Sean Payton and general manager George Paton certainly didn’t Thursday. But they did make one thing clear seven days before Denver enters the first round of the draft needing a quarterback and holding the No. 12 pick: They’re open for business.

Up, down, sideways. Everything’s on the table.

“Do we have to draft a quarterback? You’d say it sure looks like we have to draft a quarterback,” Payton said. “And yet it has to be the right fit, the right one. If we had the tip sheets as to who everyone else is taking, it’d be easier to answer that question.

“That’s the puzzle here.”

Chicago is a near lock to take USC quarterback Caleb Williams No. 1 overall. After that, the pieces get jumbled fast. For a team like the Broncos, clarity on who may or may not be available and what trade options may or may not be on the table may only arrive in real time as the opening picks unfold.

“Part of the puzzle if we were looking at our draft board and at the screen and looking at team needs, there’s a handful of teams ahead of us where you’d say quarterback,” Payton acknowledged. “And then there’s a team or two, Minnesota, ourselves and the Raiders where you could argue quarterback.

“That’s what makes this year a little interesting.”

One thing both Payton and Paton made clear: There are circumstances in which they’d push all their chips to the middle of the table and move up. But those circumstances are drawn narrowly.

“If it’s a player you think can change the landscape of your organization moving forward, like a quarterback, then you do whatever it takes to get him,” Paton, historically more inclined to trade back, said. “If there’s consensus in the building and love in the building, then you try to get him. It doesn’t mean you’re going to get him, but you try.

“We’re open to everything. We’re wide open.”

The Broncos have spent the past three weeks in draft meetings setting their board. They’ve also spent copious time on the phone with other teams. Paton said he’s had conversations with every team ahead of Denver in the draft order and many of the teams behind as he gets a feel for other teams’ willingness to jump up or move down.

“The hypothetical relative to what the compensation is is a lot of times driven by who else is interested,” Payton said. “So George has talked to all these teams in front of us. Obviously (it) depends on how much further you go up, but also if there’s someone else doing the same thing. That, George said it best, that’s certainly a possibility. Then it’s how much you can palate.”

The Broncos have put a lot of work into figuring out the answer to that question. They’ve attended pro days and hosted quarterbacks on visits and talked with them on the phone and poured over tape. Now in a week they’ll put the plan into action.

“It is a good quarterback class. There’s seven or eight quarterbacks that we think could play in the league one day,” Paton said. … “We think we can get a quarterback early. We think we can get one in the middle rounds. We think there are going to be quarterbacks throughout the draft that are interesting to us.”

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Editor’s note: This is the ninth in a series of NFL draft previews as it relates to the Broncos. Previous previews: quarterbacks, running backs, wide receivers, tight ends, offensive linemen, defensive linemen, edge rushers and inside linebackers. Today: cornerbacks. 

Broncos’ in-house moves: None

Under contract: Pat Surtain II (two years), Riley Moss (three years), Ja’Quan McMillian (one year), Tremon Smith (one year), Reese Taylor (one year) and Art Green (one year)

Need scale: 8. Yes, the Broncos have one of the best cornerbacks in the league in Surtain. But who starts on the opposite side of him? During the 2023 season, Mathis was replaced in the starting lineup by Fabian Moreau. And even though Denver moved up to draft Moss in the third round in last year’s draft, he is still unproven. The last time the Broncos drafted a cornerback in the first round, it worked out. Could they have that same luck again?

Top Five

1. Terrion Arnold, Alabama: Arnold, who started in 21 games at Alabama, is coming off his best season. He totaled 63 tackles, 12 passes defended and five interceptions while being named first-team AP All-American. Arnold is a scheme-versatile player who can develop into a No. 1 cornerback.

2. Quinyon Mitchell, Toledo: Mitchell has the skill set to be a starter as a rookie. He is a physical corner with good size and speed (4.33 seconds in 40-yard dash at combine). More importantly, Mitchell has elite ball skills, recording 45 passes defended and six interceptions in the last three seasons at Toledo.

3. Nate Wiggins, Clemson: Standing at 6-foot-1, Wiggins is a tall corner with good length and speed. In 2023, he recorded 29 tackles and six passes defended. Wiggins also allowed a 43.9 completion percentage when targeted, according to Pro Football Focus.

4. Kool-Aid McKinstry, Alabama: McKinstry, a five-star prep recruit, was the top cornerback in the nation from the 2021 class. He started in 33 games in three years at Bama and was named first team All-SEC by The Associated Press in back-to-back seasons. He recorded 67 tackles and 22 passes defended during that span.

5. Cooper DeJean, Iowa: DeJean suffered a fractured fibula that caused him to miss the final four games of the 2023 season. DeJean has experience at safety and cornerback. He is known for his playmaking abilities with five interceptions, including three returned for touchdowns in 2022.

Other Broncos options

The Broncos have eight picks total but no second-rounder. A look at options spanning Round 1 to the back of the draft. 

1. Kris Abrams-Draine, Missouri: Abrams-Draine started his college career as a wide receiver before transitioning to cornerback in 2021. In his first year as a defensive back, Abrams-Draine led the team with seven passes defended. As a junior, he had 51 tackles and three interceptions.

2. Max Melton, Rutgers: Melton started in 40 games for the Scarlet Knights, recording 114 tackles, 22 passes defended and eight interceptions. Melton allowed a 65.7 passer rating when targeted in 2023, according to PFF. He has experience playing inside and outside.

3. Elijah Jones, Boston College: Jones allowed 13 catches for 194 yards and one touchdown on 40 targets, according to PFF. He also had five interceptions and eight passes defended in nine games. A potential Day 3 target, his lack of size (6-1, 185) and strength could raise some concerns.

4. Khyree Jackson, Oregon: Jackson, who grew up in Upper Marlboro, Md., spent two seasons at Alabama before transferring to Oregon in 2023. He shined in his lone season with the Ducks, recording 34 tackles, two sacks, three interceptions and seven passes defended in 12 starts.

5. Caelen Carson, Wake Forest: A Senior Bowl invitee, Carson has missed 11 games over the last three seasons due to injury. But when he was on the field, he was productive. Carson accounted for 120 tackles and 26 passes defended in 36 career games.

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Just because Cleveland made another mistake by the lake does not mean the Broncos must reciprocate.

Broncos receiver Courtland Sutton missed the first day of voluntary workouts this week — he is not required to attend — because he is angling for a new contract, according to an NFL Network report. It’s hard to blame the veteran after watching the Browns acquire his former teammate Jerry Jeudy and sign him to a three-year contract extension with $41 million guaranteed.

Sutton outperformed Jeudy by every measure last season, most notably in reaching the end zone. Sutton scored a team-best 10 touchdowns. Jeudy finished with two.

But using the Browns as a straw man for an argument is not ideal.

Following Cleveland’s model for contracts is like asking Spinal Tap for advice on drummers. Yes, Russell Wilson ranks as the worst contract in Colorado sports history. But, Browns quarterback Deshaun Watson has the worst contract in NFL history, guaranteed $230 million over five years while his statistics pale in comparison to off-the-couch and into-the-huddle Joe Flacco. Good for Jeudy that he got paid. It should have no connection to Sutton.

Entering his seventh season, Sutton wants another bite at the apple. He signed a four-year, $60 million contract in November 2021, but only $2 million remaining is guaranteed. Players possess scant leverage in the NFL so Sutton bypassing spring workouts to goose contract talks is understandable.

But when his agent calls, there should be clarity in brevity. The answer is no.

Sutton is a solid player. He is not invaluable. The Broncos showed what they thought of him last season, shopping him for months before nearly trading the former SMU star to the Baltimore Ravens. To his credit, Sutton took the slight personally by changing his workout routine and turning into a red zone monster.

Beyond his touchdowns, there is not a lot of there there. He ranked 44th in yards (772) and 38th in yards per catch (13.1). His contract is appropriate for his production.

It makes zero sense for the Broncos to revise or extend his deal for a number of reasons. It starts with their current situation. They are in a rebuild, reboot, Febreze refresh. Their roster features “vacancy” and “under new management” signs hanging from multiple positions. When making roster and financial decisions, the question must be asked: Will this player be here when the Broncos make a serious playoff run?

We found out the Broncos’ answer with Jeudy, Josey Jewell and Justin Simmons. Simmons was the team’s best player on and off the field the past five years, and coach Sean Payton moved on without losing a wink of sleep.

Simmons will likely sign with a contender after the draft. Payton read the safety market correctly. Everyone wants a solid one, but few want to pay them anymore.

I bring this up because it applies directly to Sutton. The Broncos need offensive weapons, and he was clearly their best last season. However, college football turns out receivers like windshields on an assembly line. Payton has long prided himself on finding sleepers in the draft. Isn’t it possible he can do it again?

Sutton would be missed, but his absence would be negligible on a team without realistic postseason aspirations. He will turn 29 in October and has not posted a 1,000-yard season since 2019. Sutton has shown his ceiling. Give him his flowers for his 2023 campaign as a leader and performer. But in the previous 26 games he posted two touchdowns. Last season screams “outlier.”

In the first two seasons of his current contract, Sutton has averaged 800 yards and six touchdowns with 13 yards per reception. It makes him functional. Anything beyond that description is a hamstring stretch.

As I write this, I know Sutton fans will fire off angry emails. I love their passion. They will insist his numbers were dulled by the carousel of clown car quarterbacks. The problem with this theory is that receivers who make big money are not as quarterback-dependent as you think. There were 28 1,000-yard receivers last season, including Terry McLaurin in Washington, Jakobi Meyers in Las Vegas, and Garrett Wilson with the Jets with Zach Wilson taking snaps and Nathaniel Hackett calling the plays. Yes, Can’t Hackett’s team had a receiver reach the century mark.

The point of this column is not to diminish Sutton as much as to put his statistics in context. He has been a strong player on terrible offenses. Should he have received more targets the past two seasons? Yes. But it is hard for the number to grow exponentially when he is not consistently creating separation.

If Sutton’s motivation is twofold — get more money or force a trade — then more power to him. He deserves quarterback stability at this point in his career.

Sutton has been a solid Broncos player. He deserves praise. Not another raise.

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One commonly held thought about next week’s NFL Draft is that there’s a chance quarterbacks could be taken with the first four picks for the first time.

What if, instead, Michigan’s J.J. McCarthy was sitting there for the Broncos to take at No. 12?

NFL Network analyst Daniel Jeremiah raised the possibility during a Wednesday conference call ahead of the draft, painting a scenario that would allow Denver to take him without moving draft capital.

If Minnesota, which holds Nos. 11 and 23, trades up and takes North Carolina’s Drake Maye, Jeremiah thinks McCarthy might make it to No. 12.

“I don’t know who the other J.J. McCarthy team is,” Jeremiah said. “At that point, if you’re Denver and you’re staying there at No. 12 — you’re hearing reports that they like (McCarthy) — then you stick and pick and you get the fourth quarterback right there at No. 12 because I don’t think there’s another McCarthy team if it’s not the Vikings.”

The top 15 of the draft is littered with quarterback-needy teams. That includes each of the top three — Chicago, Washington and New England — along with the New York Giants at No. 6 and then Minnesota, Denver and Las Vegas in succession from 11-13. That, combined with a group of six quarterbacks who could go in the first round, has driven months of conversation about a feeding frenzy at the top of the draft.

The question, then, is if that actually pans out or if enough teams either trade down — New England, Arizona and the L.A. Chargers at 3-5 are all candidates — or opt for one of a group of talented receivers and offensive tackles to space out the quarterbacks.

“You go back and forth on, is this a huge competition? Or are we just making this up?” NFL Network analyst Chad Reuter told The Denver Post recently. “Maybe these teams really don’t have that high of a grade on (Washington’s Michael) Penix or (Oregon’s Bo) Nix and I could really see that happening. Or McCarthy for that matter. Is there a huge difference between McCarthy and Nix? Maybe not.”

Of course, this could all end with Washington and New England snapping up quarterbacks with the second and third picks and either Minnesota, the Giants or Broncos trading up to No. 4 for McCarthy.

“It’s a difficult evaluation because you can see him do everything you want him to do or you need a big-time quarterback to do, it’s just the numbers in terms of volume is not there,” Jeremiah said of McCarthy. “If you look at him from a size standpoint, I think he’s put on like 15 pounds in the last year, I think he’s still growing into his body and he’s going to be a bigger guy. Everybody at the pro days that I talked to said he threw it as well or better than any of the other quarterbacks. He’s got a big-time, live arm. He’s got enough size, still growing, big arm, incredibly smart. There’s things to latch on to. You’re just going to have to have some faith — and some do and some don’t — on what you’re buying there.”

Bottom line: Jeremiah referred multiple times to the Vikings and Broncos as two teams in the McCarthy conversation.

“In terms of him going, the Vikings are the team that’s connected to him and then the Denver Broncos. Is that enough to warrant a move all the way up there or can those teams try to be patient and see how it falls?

“I’ll put it this way: If you told me J.J. McCarthy goes beyond the 12th pick, I’d be shocked. Outside of that, everything is on the table, whether that’s a trade up to four or five, whether that’s a trade-up just a couple of spots or whether those teams stand pat. I think all those options are in play.”

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Editor’s note: This is the eighth in a series of NFL draft previews as it relates to the Broncos. Previous previews: quarterbacks, running backs, wide receivers, tight ends, offensive linemen, defensive linemen and edge rushers. Today: Inside linebackers. 

Broncos’ in-house offseason moves: Re-signed Jonas Griffith and Justin Strnad, signed Cody Barton and let Josey Jewell leave via free agency.

Under contract: Drew Sanders (three years), Alex Singleton (two years), Griffith (one year), Strnad (one year), Barton (one year).

Need scale (1-10): 5. This is a real need for Denver long-term, but it’s probably not as high on the priority list at present because of Singleton’s steady play, the chance for a bounce-back year from Griffith and the addition of Barton on a modest one-year deal. Sanders is the wild card. He might be the key to the middle of the field for years to come in Denver or might be an outside linebacker going forward.

Top five

1. Edgerrin Cooper, Texas A&M: Cooper racked up 17 tackles for loss and eight sacks in 2023 for the Aggies. He’s got fine size for the middle at 6-foot-2 and 230 pounds and he ran a 4.51-second 40-yard dash at the combine.

2. Payton Wilson, North Carolina State: Injuries are a question, but the 24-year-old is a big-time player and athlete. He’s 6-4 and 233, ran 4.43 at the combine and had 138 tackles (17.5 for loss) for NC State in 2023. Dealt with knee and shoulder issues but played 23 games the past two seasons.

3. Junior Colson, Michigan: At 6-2 and 240 is more than big enough to patrol the middle of the field. Led the Wolverines in tackles the past two years while playing for a team that went 28-1 and won a national title. Didn’t work out at the combine due to a hamstring injury.

4. Trevin Wallace, Kentucky: Shorter at 6-1 and 237 but has good range (79-inch wingspan) and can run (4.51 in the 40). Three-and-out player just turned 21 but played in 36 games at UK. Had 14 TFLs and eight sacks over the past two years.

5. Tommy Eichenberg, Ohio State: Five-year college player had 120 tackles (12 for loss) in 2022 and then 80 last year despite missing three games. Two-time first-team All-Big Ten selection.

Broncos options

The Broncos have eight picks, starting with No. 12 and then No. 76 in the third round. Here are five more options for Denver. 

Cedric Gray, North Carolina: Good athlete at 6-2 and 234 who jumps off the page for production the past two years. Had 145 tackles in 2022 and 121 in 2023, racking up 23 TFLs, six sacks, five forced fumbles and three INTs, too.

Jordan Magee, Temple: A pre-draft visitor of the Broncos who is 6-1 and 230 and started three years for the Owls. Defended 10 passes in that time and had 29.5 tackles for loss, too.

Marist Liufau, Notre Dame: Another pre-draft visitor of the Broncos, Liufau is 6-2 and 234. He missed all of 2021 due to injury but started 25 games the past two years. Ran 4.64 in the 40.

Easton Gibbs, Wyoming: Yet another Broncos pre-draft visitor, Gibbs was a first-team All-Mountain West pick each of the past two seasons and racked up 230 tackles (13 for loss) plus five sacks and three forced fumbles.

Jaylan Ford, Texas: The Broncos have loaded up on Longhorns this offseason and Ford is a Day 3 possibility. He’s 6-2 and 240 and racked up 220 tackles (20.5 for loss) over the past two years as a starter at UT.

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Denver Post Broncos writer Parker Gabriel posts his Broncos Mailbag weekly during the season and periodically during the offseason. Click here to submit a question.

Not a question, but an opinion. I think the Broncos should trade back for more picks — possibly a second-rounder — and then pick quarterback Mike Pratt from Tulane or if he’s still available, Bo Nix.

— Peter Beckley, Aurora

Hey Peter, thanks for writing in and getting us going this week. There’s definitely more conversation around the possibility of trading back from No. 12 for the Broncos. Not that they couldn’t move up or take a quarterback at their original pick, but the closer we get to the draft, the more folks have come around on some combination of these general thoughts: The Broncos have a lot of needs. They have needs at premium positions besides quarterback. The value at quarterback just might not be there if four go in the top five picks. The Broncos may or may not be willing to mortgage another haul of future draft capital after giving up three first-rounders and three second-rounders in the past two-plus years for Russell Wilson and Sean Payton.

When people casually just say, oh, Payton will definitely give up multiple future first-round picks to move up to No. 3 or No. 4, it’s good to keep in mind that even by trading that mega-haul, you’re getting the third or fourth quarterback in the class. That kind of move only comes together if the guy you feel strongest about is still on the board. It’d be a terrible idea to make that move for a consolation prize.

This quote from owner and CEO Greg Penner to a question I asked this spring at the ownership meetings in Orlando keeps coming to mind, too: “Our approach is going to be, long-term, to build the roster through the draft, and then be opportunistic with free agency and trades and strike when we are in a good place to do that.”

It’s going to be hard to build through the draft if your next first-round pick is in 2027. So yeah, trading back is definitely in the cards. But a lot of things are still in the cards here just more than a week before the first round arrives.

Bo Nix’s draft stock seems like it’s falling a bit. Any chance we could trade down, land him and pick up more draft capital?

— Paul Smith, Fort Collins

Hey Paul, thanks for the note. I’m not sure it’s that Nix’s stock is falling. It’s just that he’s never really been considered by most analysts to be in the same category as the very top options in the draft. And as we get closer, there’s more and more scrutiny on whether a team is really, actually going to take him in the middle of the first round.

Maybe somebody will. It could even be Denver. There’s a reason and a logic to that, and it’s not just about fit. Good quarterbacks are the most expensive commodity in football. As we saw in free agency this spring, the market for No. 2-level quarterbacks is on the rise, too. Nix might not be an upper-echelon starter right away, and he might never be. But he’d have to completely wash out to not be at least worth what the No. 12 pick is getting paid over four years, to say nothing of getting picked later in the first round or into the second day of the draft.

Teams have become more and more aggressive picking quarterbacks because you’re just paying them nothing compared to the market. They’re only expensive if you trade draft capital to land one. Of course, there’s also the opportunity cost of not picking somebody else.

But that’s part of why you consistently see quarterbacks get drafted far earlier than where they’re ranked overall on a big board. And why every team should make a habit of regularly drafting quarterbacks, even if it’s only as a stash-and-develop project.

Last year, I remember there was a bit of buzz when we landed Drew Sanders and Riley Moss in the third round. Do you think either (or both) could make a big leap this year?

— Mark, Arvada

Great question, Mark. One of the keys to the Broncos’ 2024 season, really, is how last year’s draft class develops this fall. If you had a normal, full draft class, you wouldn’t necessarily expect that your third-rounders are always going to be impact guys right away. You’d be pretty happy if they were special teams guys and spot players in Year 1 and then developed in Year 2. Part of what’s happened with the Broncos the past couple of years is that they have players who arrive with the expectation of being the team’s top pick or picks from that year’s draft, but really they weren’t taken in the usual instant-impact range of the draft.

It happened two years ago with Nik Bonitto, who struggled as a rookie and took a nice step forward in his second season. If Sanders, Moss and wide receiver Marvin Mims Jr. take that same step forward this fall, you’ll feel pretty good about that draft class overall. But they need those guys, too. They traded up for Mims and and up again for Moss.

The pick Denver traded to move up for Moss is the No. 81 pick in this year’s draft. On the Jimmy Johnson chart, it and the No. 76 pick overall would get the Broncos up to around No. 50 overall if they wanted to get into the second round.

So yes, bottom line, there’s pressure on everybody in the NFL but it will be very interesting to see if Denver’s 2023 rookie class — particularly those top three guys — can take a big step forward individually and collectively in Year 2.

Hey Parker, do you think we get a Thanksgiving game this year? Also any word if the Broncos are going to be on “Hard Knocks”? Thanks.

— Frank M., Denver

Hey Frank, good questions. We’ll have the NFL schedule in hand sometime in early-ish May, so the wait’s not too much longer. Never say never on the Thanksgiving Day game, but the odds aren’t in Denver’s favor for one particular reason: Dallas and Detroit host two of the three games played that day every year and neither is on Denver’s schedule for 2024. The Broncos could end up in the third game that day — Thanksgiving night in prime time — but that’s their only chance, and this isn’t a year you’d expect the team to be in prime time all that often.

As for “Hard Knocks,” I’d imagine the folks at HBO will have a hard time saying no to likely No. 1 overall pick Caleb Williams and Chicago for the preseason rendition, but Payton and the Broncos certainly would come with entertainment value, too.

The in-season version is going to be interesting, because for the first time the show is going to follow an entire division instead of one team. Find me a better watch than Payton, Andy Reid, Jim Harbaugh and Antonio Pierce, plus the quarterback star power in Patrick Mahomes and Justin Herbert, plus perhaps a couple of rookie quarterbacks.

Let’s play a little revisionist history here. If we had gone after Aaron Rodgers in 2022 and landed him instead of Russell Wilson, do you think we’d be in a much different position now? Would Nathaniel Hackett still be here? What do you think?

— T. James, San Diego

Well, T, first things first: It’s pretty common knowledge that Denver did have interest in Rodgers in 2022. The fact that he didn’t end up here isn’t because of a lack of trying. It just didn’t materialize, and he ended up back in Green Bay for one more year.

It would take Rodgers-strength plant medicine to open your mind far enough to see the full butterfly effect on the past two years had he ended up in orange and blue rather than Russell Wilson. Suffice it to say my day-to-day would have been a lot different. Maybe The Post would have sent me on a darkness retreat to see what all the fuss is about.

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Courtland Sutton Watch has begun.

The Broncos veteran wide receiver did not report to the first day of the team’s voluntary workouts, a source confirmed Tuesday to The Denver Post. NFL Network reported the absence is due to Sutton wanting a new contract.

Sutton has two years remaining on his current deal but only $2 million of the more than $26 million left is guaranteed. He has cap numbers of $17.396 million this year and $17.825 million in 2025 but Denver has little financial tie remaining to him.

The opening phases of NFL offseason programs are entirely voluntary. In fact, Denver’s only three mandatory days between now and training camp are a minicamp that falls June 11-13. Sutton’s attended the early phases of the offseason program in the past, but it will be many weeks before he’s actually faced with a decision on skipping or attending something mandatory.

The Broncos have had strong attendance in the early phases of recent offseason programs, though players sometimes come and go over the course of several weeks from April-June.

Sutton caught 10 touchdown passes in 2023 on 59 total receptions and 772 yards. He’s ranged between 772 and 829 yards each of the past three seasons since missing almost the entire 2020 season with a knee injury. Sutton signed a four-year extension worth up to $60 million in November 2021, but now nearly all of the guarantees from that deal have been accounted for.

A second-round draft pick in 2018, Sutton had 1,1112 yards and six touchdowns as a second-year player in 2019, his best year as a professional.

He’s watched this offseason as one of his close friends, quarterback Russell Wilson, was released and his partner atop the receiving room the past four years, Jerry Jeudy, was traded to Cleveland for a pair of Day 3 draft picks.

Several of Denver’s highest-paid players have either been released, traded or had their contracts adjusted in various manners. Sutton, meanwhile, has not. He appeared to acknowledge some level of uncertainty in January when he wrote on social media, “I know all things happen for a reason and I trust my God’s plans over everything, including what’s next for me. Just know I gave everything to this team and organization every time I stepped on the field!”

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Editor’s note: This is the seventh in a series of NFL draft previews as it relates to the Broncos. Previous previews: quarterbacks, running backs, wide receivers, tight ends, offensive linemen and defensive linemen. Today: edge rushers

Broncos’ in-house moves: none

Under contract: Nik Bonitto (two years), Jonathon Cooper (one year), Baron Browning (one year), Thomas Incoom (two years), Ronnie Perkins (one year) and Durell Nchami (two years)

Need scale: 8. Bonitto and Cooper made impressive strides in 2023, combining for 16.5 sacks. But Cooper and Browning will be unrestricted free agents in 2025 and Denver hasn’t had a dominant pass rusher since Von Miller and Bradley Chubb. If the Broncos can’t land a quarterback in the first round, they might bolster their pass rush.

Top five

1. Dallas Turner, Alabama: Turner could be the first edge rusher off the board. In 2023, the Florida native had 53 tackles, 10 sacks and a pair of forced fumbles. He’s an explosive player who can overwhelm offensive linemen with his speed. At the scouting combine in March, Turner ran the 40-yard dash in 4.46 seconds.

2. Laiatu Latu, UCLA: Latu’s medical history — a neck injury at Washington nearly derailed his career — might be concerning, but he has all the traits to make an immediate impact. Latu recorded 23.5 sacks and five forced fumbles over the last two seasons at UCLA.

3. Jared Verse, Florida State: Verse spent the last two years at Florida State after transferring from Albany. He was named first-team All-ACC in back-to-back seasons. During his final year with the Seminoles, he had nine sacks.

4. Chop Robinson, Penn State: Robinson’s sack numbers in college are not overwhelming. He had 11.5 sacks in three years (one season at Maryland and two at Penn State). However, his elite athleticism, speed and power make him a first-round talent.

5. Darius Robinson, Missouri: The 6-foot-5, 285-pounder has the length and versatility teams covet. He can put his hands in the dirt as an interior defender or line up as an outside linebacker. Robinson totaled 29 tackles (14 for loss) and 8.5 sacks in 2023. He could be a late first or early second-round pick.

Other Broncos options

The Broncos have eight picks total but no second-rounder. A look at options spanning Round 1 to the back of the draft. 

1. Mohamed Kamara, Colorado State: Kamara was a sack machine for the Rams. He recorded 29.5 career sacks in five seasons, including 13 in 2023. He is a violent pass rusher who plays with power and aggression. Kamara could go as early as the second round.

2. Javon Solomon, Troy: Solomon could be a rotational defender with the potential of becoming a starter. Solomon was named to the All-Sun Belt first team after finishing first in the nation in sacks (16) and ninth in tackles for loss (18).

3. Marshawn Kneeland, Western Michigan: Kneeland, who played tight end in high school, registered a career-high 57 tackles (7.5 tackles for loss), 4.5 sacks, two forced fumbles and eight quarterback hurries last fall.

4. Jalyx Hunt, Houston Christian: Hunt, a safety-turned-edge rusher, is a developmental prospect with upside. During Hunt’s two-year stint at Houston Christian, he had 58 tackles (20.5 for loss) and 13.5 sacks. He has tremendous speed to close in on quarterbacks, while his defensive back background is beneficial in coverage.

5. Gabriel Murphy, UCLA: Murphy spent three seasons at North Texas before transferring to UCLA, where he totaled 76 tackles (20 for loss), 9.5 sacks and three passes defended. In 2023, he was named honorable mention All-Pac 12 with eight sacks and 38 tackles in 13 starts.

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