ENGLEWOOD, Colo. (AP) — Denver Broncos wide receiver Courtland Sutton has reached agreement on a four-year, $92 million extension, a person with knowledge of the deal told The Associated Press on Monday.
The person spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss details of the deal that runs through the 2029 season and averages $23 million and includes $41 million in guarantees.
Sutton has had his best two seasons of his eight-year NFL career under coach Sean Payton, who arrived in Denver in 2023. Sutton caught a career-best 81 passes for 1,081 yards and eight touchdowns last season, his first 1,000-yard campaign since 2019. He had a career-high 10 TD catches the year before.
Sutton, who turns 30 this season, will earn an average of $23 million in his new deal, much more in line with upper-echelon wide receivers across the NFL. His last deal included a $14 million salary for its final year in 2025.
Sutton has been a limited participant in training camp as his agency and the Broncos negotiated the new contract.
After the team's first full-padded practice Monday, Payton said, “Well, he's gotten reps. He's gotten limited reps. And I think we're ... real close on the contract.”
Payton expressed no concern that Sutton hasn't had his full complement of snaps so far with second-year quarterback Bo Nix.
“Not with a veteran like Courtland,” Payton said. "He's real smart. Here's the deal, he's been participating in all the individual, all the 1-on-1, he's gotten 7-on-7 work, he's gotten team reps. He's just being smart. It would be different if you felt like he was missing improvement or not being out here or just being out here riding the bike or something. I kind of know that player well enough to feel real good about where he's at and his mindset, both mentally and physically.”
Other veterans who are angling for new deals this summer include defensive lineman Zach Allen and rising star linebacker Nik Bonitto.
Notes: Payton said ILB Drew Sanders will be out an estimated six weeks after tearing a ligament in his right foot at practice Saturday. “The news for us was good news in that it's a ligament in his foot and not a tendon,” Payton said. “The ligament repair is a much easier one than that of a tendon.” Payton said Sanders hasn't decided yet whether to have surgery or let the ligament heal on its own. Sanders missed most of last season after tearing his left Achilles tendon in the offseason.
AP NFL: https://apnews.com/NFL
Denver Broncos wide receiver Courtland Sutton takes part in drills during an NFL football practice, Thursday, July 24, 2025, at the team's headquarters in Centennial, Colo. (AP Photo/David Zalubowski)
Denver Broncos wide receiver Courtland Sutton stretches during an NFL football practice Friday, July 25, 2025, in Centennial, Colo. (AP Photo/David Zalubowski)
Mikaela Shiffrin has plenty to celebrate this Christmas.
The American skiing standout is off to a perfect start in slalom during the Olympic season — with four wins in four World Cup races. And she’s regaining her form in other disciplines, too, following the two biggest crashes of her career.
“This season so far I had the ability to like bring top level turns in those pressure moments,” Shiffrin said. “The world when they’re watching thinks there’s no pressure because I have a big lead or I did it the race before but every single time I stand in the start it’s like a new situation and I found a way so far. I found a way to dig really deep to find that quality skiing. But it’s not straightforward. It takes so much effort.”
This weekend, Shiffrin returns to the Austrian resort of Semmering where she’s claimed seven of her record 105 World Cup victories. On two occasions, Shiffrin has claimed three victories in three days in Semmering — in 2016 and in 2022.
This season there are just two races: a giant slalom on Saturday and then a slalom on Sunday.
While Shiffrin has won a record 22 World Cup giant slaloms, she hasn’t been on the podium in the discipline since before her nasty crash in Killington, Vermont, last season — which left her with a deep puncture wound in her side and severe trauma to her oblique muscles.
But Shiffrin has been getting closer in giant slalom, finishing fourth twice this season, including in the last race in Tremblant, Quebec.
“It’s just going to keep taking time,” she said. “I want to just keep improving or maybe get repetition from the slalom level.”
Shiffrin also recently entered a super-G in St. Moritz, Switzerland, for her first speed event since crashing in a downhill in Cortina d’Ampezzo, Italy, nearly two years ago. She was on pace for a decent finish until she missed the final gate.
Still, it was progress toward her goal of possibly adding super-G to her program at the upcoming Milan Cortina Winter Olympics — where women’s Alpine skiing will be contested in Cortina.
“Even if it’s not the Olympics, super-G is a big goal of mine to return to a strong form in super-G World Cup,” Shiffrin said.
In slalom, Shiffrin’s form is so solid that she’s been able to consistently win by massive margins — an average gap of 1.5 seconds — and quickly recover from errors.
It’s quite a turnaround from the second half of last season, when Shiffrin was struggling with post-traumatic stress disorder due to her fall in Killington.
“Right now I can feel when I have a disruption in my momentum and then in my mind it is like a gas pedal,” she said of how she can turn up the pace mid-run.
One more victory in slalom and Shiffrin will match the best start to a season in her career in the discipline: She won the first five slaloms back in 2018-19.
Overall, Shiffrin has won five straight slaloms including the final race of last season. Her longest total winning streak is seven slaloms — which she has achieved twice.
Already the holder of two Olympic golds — slalom in 2014 and giant slalom in 2018 — Shiffrin could race in four events at the Olympics in Cortina: slalom, giant slalom, super-G and the new team combined.
Shiffrin and downhill teammate Breezy Johnson claimed gold in team combined at last season’s world championships.
The team combined involves one racer competing in a downhill run and then a teammate competing in a slalom run — with the times added together to determine the results.
Lindsey Vonn unsuccessfully campaigned to team with Shiffrin in combined at worlds but now has a better chance at forming a skiing “Dream Team” after her strong start this season at age 41.
AP Olympics: https://apnews.com/hub/milan-cortina-2026-winter-olympics
United States' Mikaela Shiffrin competes in an alpine ski, women's World Cup slalom, in Courchevel, France, Tuesday, Dec. 16, 2025. (AP Photo/Giovanni Auletta)
United States' Mikaela Shiffrin celebrates winning an alpine ski, women's World Cup slalom, in Courchevel, France, Tuesday, Dec. 16, 2025. (AP Photo/Giovanni Auletta)
FILE - United States' Mikaela Shiffrin feeds a deer on the podium after winning an alpine ski, women's World Cup slalom, in Levi, Finland, on Nov. 15, 2025. (AP Photo/Marco Trovati, File)
FILE - United States' Mikaela Shiffrin poses with Santa Claus as she celebrates on the podium after winning an alpine ski, women's World Cup slalom, in Levi, Finland, on Nov. 15, 2025. (AP Photo/Marco Trovati, File)
