ENGLEWOOD, Colo. (AP) — The market for veteran wide receivers thinned out after Denver Broncos coach Sean Payton said neither Jerry Jeudy nor Courtland Sutton were available to trade.
Payton made that comment in an appearance Sunday on the NFL Network during 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 about their availability for receivers, who have combined for 1,801 receiving yards and eight touchdowns in 2022.
“We have received calls, you can bet. These are two very good players,” Payton said. “But we are in the business of accumulating talent right now. Why are people calling? Because they know we don’t have draft picks and we could, because there were some discussions last year, I think, regarding Courtland. But we like the group we’re working with.”
The Broncos have only five picks in next month’s NFL draft, but don’t have one before the third round after giving up some valuable picks to acquire quarterback Russell Wilson from Seattle last year and Payton from the Saints last year. winter.
Wilson cost them first-round and second-round picks last year and this year and they had to send the first round they got from Miami in the Bradley Chubb trade to New Orleans in order to sign Payton.
Jeudy has not lived up to expectations after being selected in the first round of 2020, mainly due to injuries, although he had a good finish to the season last year, putting up big numbers after being moved to the flanker position.
Sutton, a 2019 second-round pick, hasn’t been the same since he tore his ACL in 2020. He caught only two touchdown passes in each of the past two seasons.