The Pittsburgh Steelers have been actively trying to acquire a starting-caliber receiver for what feels like several months now. The organization has constantly found themselves enthralled in trade rumors for Brandon Aiyuk and other top flight receivers around the league. They'll find a receiver through the draft, but it's clear General Manager Omar Khan and the organization want to acquire an established veteran to pair with George Pickens. That veteran could be one of Russell Wilson's favorite targets.
Wilson's time with the Denver Broncos was extremely memorable, but not for good reasons. The quarterback constantly found himself being ridiculed and criticized in the media for both his play and the way he acted off of the field. Wilson turned it around during his second season in Denver in 2023, and quietly had a really good year where he threw for 26 touchdowns and just eight interceptions prior to being benched for contractual reasons.
A lot of Wilson's success in Denver can be attributed to the play of wide receiver, Courtland Sutton, who teams around the league have been trying to get their hands on according to Jeremy Fowler.
Sutton had a good year in 2023, he played in 16 games and caught 59 passes. He recorded 772 receiving yards and was a touchdown merchant, catching 10 on the season. Sutton has been consistently good since entering the league in 2018. He has had a tumultuous go of things when it comes to quarterback play, which has certainly hindered his production. Despite this, he was able to make the Pro Bowl in 2019 in just his second season in the NFL.
Denver has been a rocky organization over the last five years or so, which is just about the amount of time Sutton has been there. He has played for five different head coaches in Denver, and nine different starting quarterbacks. He is certainly the organization's best offensive player and one of the team's leaders, and he now wants his contract to reflect that as the Broncos enter a year where they aren't expected to be competing.
The Broncos current starting quarterback is set to be Jarrett Stidham, however they are expected to take a quarterback in the first round, possibly even trading up for one. Sutton should expect a frustrating year, either with Stidham throwing him passes or a rookie, and he would be better off in a new home. Pittsburgh should certainly be active in trade talks with Denver and look to reunite Wilson and Sutton.
Steelers' Russell Wilson And Courtland Sutton Have Good History
Wilson and Sutton have played in 29 games together over Wilson's two seasons in Denver. The duo connected 119 times for 1,576 yards and 12 touchdowns, even completing the most improbable pass in the "Next Gen Stats" era in 2023 when they connected on a seven yard touchdown that had just a 3.2 percent chance of being completed.
The two obviously have chemistry, and the Steelers badly need a receiver they can count on to pair with Pickens. Drafting a receiver should still be in play, but a rookie shouldn't be relied upon to come in and contribute immediately. Sutton could also make Wilson feel more comfortable in Pittsburgh, and the transition would certainly be made easier on each player due to the familiarity. Sutton should not cost too much as he enters the second to last year of his contract, and Pittsburgh would only need to pay about $13.5 million per year to have Sutton for the next two seasons.
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