Bengals Signed Ex-Broncos WR Brother For $23 million’

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Punter Riley Dixon, who joined the Broncos as a rookie in 2016 and played with Thomas for two seasons, said the receiver’s “attitude, humility and affection toward everybody” made him a player toward whom young players gravitated. Like Simmons, Dixon remembers being at breakfast in the cafeteria and looking up to see Thomas pulling up a chair next to him. For a first-year player still trying to figure out the pro football world, the small gesture went a long way.

“He asks you how you’re doing, and it’s one of those rare times where you feel like they really mean it,” Dixon said. “He had such a loving and caring heart. He’s obviously tenacious and so athletic and gifted, but the way he worked every day and the way he treated people is something I’ll always remember.”

The nine touchdown catches for Sutton this season are the most by a Broncos wide receiver since Thomas caught 11 in 2014. With five games to go, Sutton has an outside shot at matching Thomas’ team record of 14 touchdown catches in a season (2013), a mark shared with Anthony Miller (1995). Sutton is also on pace for 71 catches and 903 yards, which would be his best season in those categories since he made the Pro Bowl as a second-year player in 2019. He has become a trusted, go-to target for Wilson in big moments, much as Thomas was for Hall of Fame passer Peyton Manning during the four seasons they played together in Denver.

But it is the way Sutton has operated as the veteran among the Broncos’ receivers that perhaps most illustrates Thomas’ lasting impact. On Thursday, well after the majority of the players and coaches had made their way into the locker room, Sutton led a group of young receivers through a series of extra reps in front of a Jugs machine as they prepared for Sunday’s matchup against the Los Angeles Chargers. They toe-tapped the sideline after a series of grabs as Sutton passed down some of the nuanced tricks that have led to some of his biggest highlights this season. The scenes have taken place daily this season, but it’s not all just about the work.

“He’s been huge from a leadership role, knowing he’s always going to be out there being about it, but at the same time, he’s there joking around with us, still being a young guy,” rookie Marvin Mims Jr. said. “Just having that mutual respect has been huge. To have him in my ear all year has been a big thing. Court will talk about different looks from different teams, players he’s seen. He makes it obvious what he’s seen from a player and how my skill set could do something different than he can to help me win against a corner and stuff like that. He makes it clear what he thinks, and that’s been huge for our room.”

Sutton has often been the receivers’ biggest hype man. He caught a 45-yard touchdown pass in Sunday’s loss to the Houston Texans, but he saved his biggest celebration for teammate Jerry Jeudy’s 41-yard catch in the fourth quarter. Behind the scenes, Sutton has often delivered donuts to members of the equipment and training staff on Saturdays, ESPN reported last year, because Thomas had done the same thing during his career in Denver.