Russell Wilson is bound for Denver, and arriving with him are Mile High aspirations and anticipation aplenty.
The Broncos boast a talented young crop of receivers collectively grinning ear to ear at the prospect of Wilson's arrival, something confirmed by former Pro Bowler Courtland Sutton.
"We're so excited," Sutton said Thursday on NFL Total Access of Denver agreeing to acquire Wilson in a trade with the Seattle Seahawks. "Our room, an offense, team, we've had a lot of guys come in and contribute and every step that we've had, it's been appreciated. But to be able to have Russ come in and, having the success that he's had, having the knowledge that he has, for us as young guys, all the young talent that we have, that's what we need. We need that guy that's gonna come in and be, you know, him, who he is, what he already brings to the table. We're excited."
Sutton was a Pro Bowler and a 1,000-yard receiver in 2019 playing with the Broncos' parade of starting quarterbacks featuring Joe Flacco, Drew Lock and Brandon Allen. Thus, it's not arduous to understand just how excited he is to welcome Wilson, a quarterback with nine Pro Bowls and a Super Bowl win on his resume.
Though the trade cannot become official until the start of the new league year on March 16, Sutton and fellow receivers Jerry Jeudy, Tim Patrick and KJ Hamler have already been in communication and discussed preliminary plans on getting together for offseason workouts.
"It sets the tempo for our entire team," Sutton said. "Everybody understands the time that everybody's on and where we're trying to get to. It's exciting for sure."
The aforementioned receiving group is understandably amped to play with Wilson, but getting to know their new QB and building chemistry beforehand is paramount.
"Getting a brand new quarterback, brand new offense, all the reps that we can get are going to be huge," Sutton said.
In the eyes of many, the Broncos have been a quarterback away from returning to the playoffs and being an AFC West-title contender since they won Super Bowl 50. Six seasons have passed since then with nary a Denver playoff berth. However, Sutton is stressing that nothing has been accomplished yet. The work needs to be put in.
It's an approach underscored when considering the Broncos reside in the AFC West, which boasts conference heavyweight Kansas City, a Las Vegas squad that made the playoffs in 2021 and a Los Angeles team that is trading for elite pass rusher Khalil Mack.
The excitement is real, but nothing's been accomplished as of yet.
"We haven't been able to handle the [AFC] West as we should and as we would like to," Sutton said. "Getting Russ is definitely going to put us in that spot that we want to be in. It's on us to go out there and put that work together. All these things sound really good, on paper. But it's on us to go put this work in, all the way from now to the beginning of the season to be able to put ourselves in that spot to be able to say we are the best in the west. It's not just gonna be something that's given to us because we picked up Russ. It's on us, all of us, to put that work together and take it to that next level, max out that potential."
