Denver Broncos

Veteran wide receiver Courtland Sutton is entering the final year of his contract with the Denver Broncos, but the team is hoping to keep him in the Mile High City well beyond 2025.

While speaking at the NFL Scouting Combine in Indianapolis on Tuesday, Broncos general manager George Paton made it clear that the team holds Sutton in high regard and wants to extend his contract.

"Courtland is one of our guys, team captain—I've said this a couple years in a row—we want him here," Paton said, per ESPN's Jeff Legwold. "Those discussions will happen at the right time."

Sutton played in all 17 games last season and quickly developed chemistry with rookie quarterback Bo Nix before finishing with team highs of 81 catches, 1,081 yards and eight touchdowns. His stats far exceeded any other player on the team, as Legwold pointed out that he had 40 more receptions, 578 more receiving yards and two more touchdowns than the Broncos' next-best wide receiver.

In the final year of his contract, Sutton is set to make a base salary of $13.5 million. However, Legwold reported that "sources familiar with the situation" said the Broncos "are aware that Sutton would prefer not to play the 2025 season on his current deal."

Denver head coach Sean Payton also spoke at the scouting combine and echoed Paton's sentiments that Sutton is a key member of the offense who they would like to keep on the roster for years to come.

"We felt like he had a real good season," Payton said. "He's important to what we're doing."

Denver Broncos outside linebackers coach Michael Wilhoite was arrested Sunday on suspicion of second-degree assault of a police officer, according to 9News' Mike Klis.

Details regarding Wilhoite's arrest remain scarce for the time being. Klis reported it may have stemmed from an incident outside of Denver International Airport.

The Broncos acknowledged Wilhoite's arrest in a statement shared by 9News.

"We are aware of a situation involving Michael Wilhoite that occurred Sunday and are in the process of gathering more information," a team spokesperson said.

Wilhoite is entering his third season in Denver. Sean Payton, who worked with him for two years with the New Orleans Saints, hired him for his coaching staff when he took the Broncos gig in 2023.

Prior to entering the coaching ranks, Wilhoite played for six seasons across spells with the San Francisco 49ers and Seattle Seahawks. He appeared in 79 games and totaled 298 tackles.

Denver Broncos cornerback Patrick Surtain II has won the Associated Press Defensive Player of the Year award.

Surtain defeated four finalists: Philadelphia Eagles linebacker Zack Baun, Cleveland Browns defensive end Myles Garrett, Cincinnati Bengals defensive end Trey Hendrickson and Pittsburgh Steelers edge-rusher T.J. Watt.

Rob Maaddi of the Associated Press revealed the voting results. Surtain's 26 first-place votes were two more than any other candidate combined (24).

The award was announce during the annual NFL Honors event on Thursday in New Orleans, which will play host to Sunday's Super Bowl.

Surtain started 16 games for the Broncos, who allowed the third-fewest points per game (18.3 PPG). He picked off four passes, returning them for 132 yards and one touchdown.

In addition, Surtain amassed 11 passes defended, a forced fumble and a fumble recovery. He also had 45 tackles (34 solo).

Per Pro Football Reference, opposing quarterbacks only completed 38 passes for 326 yards (8.6 yards per completion) for a measly 58.9 passer rating in Surtain's coverage.

Surtain served as the backbone of a team that won 10 games and made the playoffs for the first time since 2015.

In four years, the former Alabama star has made three Pro Bowls and earned first-team All-Pro honors twice. Simply put, Surtain has been sensational ever since Denver selected him with the No. 9 overall pick in the 2021 NFL draft.

And now Surtain has been recognized for his efforts with his first-ever (and well-deserved) Defensive Player of the Year award.

The Detroit Lions hired John Morton as their new offensive coordinator on Tuesday, according to NFL Network's Ian Rapoport.

Morton, who was the Denver Broncos' pass game coordinator the past two seasons, will replace Ben Johnson, who was recently named the new head coach of the Chicago Bears.

The 55-year-old Morton previously coached with the Lions in 2022, serving as the senior offensive assistant.

Morton was born in Auburn Hills, Michigan, and played his college football at Western Michigan, so taking the Lions' OC job will be a homecoming of sorts for him.

While Morton has somewhat limited experience in the OC role, and has been coaching at the NFL and collegiate levels in various positions since 1998.

Morton spent time with the Oakland Raiders, New Orleans Saints and San Francisco 49ers in roles such as offensive assistant, offensive quality control coach, tight ends coach, wide receivers coach and pass game coordinator.

He was the passing game coordinator and wide receivers coach at USC from 2007 to 2008 before getting promoted to offensive coordinator for the 2009 and 2010 seasons.

Morton's only opportunity as an offensive coordinator in the NFL came in 2017 with the New York Jets. The Jets ranked 28th in total offense and 24th in scoring in his one season at the helm.

Offensive guru Sean Payton had Morton on his staff multiple times, as Morton was the Saints' passing game coordinator and offensive assistant in 2006, and their wide receivers coach from 2015 to 2016.

More recently, Morton was the pass game coordinator under Payton in Denver from 2023 to 2024, and he helped oversee a significant turnaround.

Denver ranked 10th in the NFL in scoring this season and reached the playoffs with a 10-7 record, marking the Broncos' first postseason appearance since 2015.

Most impressively, the Broncos did it with a rookie quarterback in Bo Nix, who far exceeded expectations by completing 66.3 percent of his passes for 3,775 yards, 29 touchdowns and 12 interceptions, while also rushing for 430 yards and four scores.

As well as Nix performed during his rookie campaign, Morton will have far more to work with offensively in Detroit.

Over the past three seasons under head coach Dan Campbell, the Lions have consistently boasted the most dynamic offense in the league.

Detroit ranked fourth in total offense and fifth in scoring in 2022, third in total offense and fifth in scoring in 2023, and second in total offense and first in scoring this season.

The Lions had an MVP finalist in quarterback Jared Goff, two highly productive running backs in Jahmyr Gibbs and David Montgomery, and two 1,000-yard receivers in Amon-Ra St. Brown and Jameson Williams.

Detroit is set to return nearly all of its key contributors on offense in 2025, and that type of continuity should help Morton hit the ground running as the OC for a team that went 15-2 in 2024.

Sean Payton believes the Denver Broncos have found their next great quarterback in rookie Bo Nix.

"I know this, he's very conscientious. ... I think it's all in front of him," Broncos coach Sean Payton said Wednesday, per ESPN's Jeff Legwold. "I've said this before, I think we've found that player that can lead us and be what we need relative to having the success that we're used to having. I think we found him."

Some questioned the Broncos' decision to take Nix, a 24-year-old player out of Oregon, with the 12th pick in the draft, but the former Heisman finalist quickly showed why Denver was so high on him.

He had a few rough performances early in the year, which is expected out of a rookie quarterback, but he finished with 3,775 passing yards, 29 touchdowns and 12 interceptions. He added 430 rushing yards and four touchdowns on the ground.

Nix's 29 touchdowns were the second-most ever by a rookie, only behind Justin Herbert who had 31 in 2020.

But Nix did more than just put up good numbers, he made the Broncos a winning team.

Denver finished 10-7 and reached the playoffs, snapping an eight-year playoff drought and leading the team to 10 wins for the first time since 2015.

The season ultimately didn't end how the Brocnos wished as they lost to the Buffalo Bills 31-7, but Payton has every reason to believe Nix can eventually make Denver a Super Bowl contender.

The Denver Broncos were one of the best stories in the NFL this past season, going 10-7 and reaching the playoffs in Sean Payton's second year at the helm.

The future looks bright, with rookie quarterback Bo Nix exceeding expectations. The Broncos could still use some more playmakers on the offensive side of the ball, however, and at least one executive believes Payton will get the types of players he desires this offseason.

"Sean will have a clear vision of exactly what he needs, and he will not let anyone get in the way of that," the executive told The Athletic's Mike Sando.

"If they had a tight end or runner that could separate and win against man coverage, they would be really tough to deal with," another executive added.

Denver's weakness this season was at the skill positions on offense. Javonte Williams led the run game with 513 yards and four touchdowns. Courtland Sutton had a strong season at wide receiver, posting 81 catches for 1,081 yards and eight touchdowns, but Marvin Mims Jr. was the next most productive wideout and had mediocre numbers (39 catches for 503 yards and six touchdowns). None of the team's tight ends exceeded 200 receiving yards.

Nix has proven to be the perfect fit for Payton's system, but he needs playmakers. Expect Payton to find a way to get him some.

Denver Broncos rookie quarterback Bo Nix didn't miss a snap during the 2024 season despite being banged up for months.

During Monday's exit interviews following Denver's loss to the Buffalo Bills in Sunday's AFC Wild Card Game, Nix revealed to reporters that he had been playing through three transverse process fractures, which he suffered in a game against the Las Vegas Raiders on Nov. 24.

Nix downplayed the accomplishment of playing through the injury, saying that "a lot of guys play with a lot of those kinds of things."

The 2024 No. 12 pick helped spearhead a massive turnaround in Denver, as the team went 10-7 and made the playoffs for the first time since 2015. In Sunday's game against the Bills, Nix threw for 144 yards and a touchdown on 13-of-22 passing and had a team-high 43 rushing yards as the Broncos suffered a 31-7 loss.

Still, Nix has a lot to be proud of after his first year in the NFL. He finished the season ranked sixth in the league with 29 touchdowns and 12th with 3,775 yards while throwing 12 interceptions. He also added 430 rushing yards and four more scores.

Nix will need the Broncos to add more talent around him if they want to continue building on the success of the 2024 campaign. In its latest mock draft, B/R's NFL Scouting Department predicted that Denver would select Michigan tight end Colston Loveland with the No. 21 pick.

A healthy Nix with more weapons on offense could put the Broncos in a position to contend for another playoff spot and potentially make a deeper run in 2025 and beyond.

Even though the Denver Broncos suffered a 31-7 loss to the Buffalo Bills in their Wild Card playoff matchup on Sunday, Bo Nix is still optimistic about the team's long-term outlook.

"It's a lot to grow from, a lot to build from," Nix said after the game, via Michael Baca of NFL.com. "I'm excited to be here at this time because our trajectory is going up. I'm excited for a lot of things we have out in front of us. We have a lot to look forward to that I'm pumped about."

Nix and the Broncos kept Sunday's contest close throughout the first half, taking an early 7-0 lead and trailing by just three points at halftime.

The Bills pulled away in the second half by scoring 21 points over the final two quarters.

As for Nix himself, the rookie quarterback finished 13-of-22 for 144 yards and a touchdown without turning the ball over. He also rushed for a team-high 43 yards on four attempts.

Despite the lopsided defeat against Buffalo, the Broncos' 2024 campaign was still immensely successful. They compiled a 10-7 record, clinching a playoff berth for the first time since their Super Bowl victory in the 2015 season.

Denver was one of six teams to finish the year ranked within the top 10 in scoring offense as well as scoring defense.

Nix, the No. 12 overall pick in the 2024 NFL draft, wrapped up a strong inaugural year. The 24-year-old completed 66.3 percent of his throws for 3,775 yards and 29 touchdowns compared to 12 interceptions. He rushed for 430 yards and four more scores.

The Broncos also boast several young stars on the defensive side of the ball including cornerback Patrick Surtain II and outside linebacker Nik Bonitto, who are both under 26 years old.

Denver was defeated by an experienced Bills team in the playoffs on Sunday, but the future is still bright for Nix's squad.