ENGLEWOOD, Colo. ( Associated Press) — The market for veteran receivers has largely thinned out after Denver Broncos coach Sean Payton said neither Jerry Jeudy nor Courtland Sutton were available for a trade.
Payton made that comment during an appearance Sunday on the NFL Network on the first day of the owners’ meeting in Arizona.
“We’re not going to trade those two guys,” Payton said, acknowledging that the Broncos have received requests regarding the availability of the receivers, who have combined for 1,801 receiving yards and eight touchdowns in 2022.
“We got calls, you can bet. These two players are very good,” Payton said. “But we’re in the business of growing talent now. Why do people call? Because they know we don’t have shoulders and we could, because last year, I think, there were some discussions about Courtland. But we work together as a group.”
The Broncos have just five picks in next month’s NFL draft, but they don’t have one before the third round, after making some strong moves to acquire Russell Wilson from Seattle last year, and Payton from the Saints last winter.
Wilson cost them first-round and second-round picks earlier this year and sent the first-round pick from Miami in their Bradley Chubb trade to New Orleans to sign Payton.
Jeudy did not live up to expectations after he was selected to perish in the first round of 2020 due to injuries, while last year he had a good end to the season, putting up great numbers after he moved to the side position.
Sutton, a 2019 second-round pick, hasn’t been the same since he tore his ACL in 2020. He only had two touchdown passes in each of the past seasons.
