Denver Broncos

Courtland Sutton on Russell Wilson: 'The juice is just different'

Updated Apr. 12, 2022 7:06 p.m. ET

Oh, what a difference a day makes — or in the Denver Broncos' case, an offseason.

The current Broncos figure to be an entirely different unit than the one that defended Empower Field at Mile High Stadium last season, the main difference being the arrival of a new on-field general.

Russell Wilson is now calling the shots for the offense, and the presence of the nine-time Pro Bowler is a stark turnaround from recent years.

Wilson has been to the mountaintop, and his addition is already creating a residual effect in the locker room.

Courtland Sutton has taken note of it.

"I think that you all can feel it, we all can feel it, the juice is just different," Sutton said Tuesday on The Fan 104.3 FM. "I wasn't around when Peyton [Manning] was here, but from what I'm hearing, the juice and the energy is pretty similar. Knowing that we have a guy that has been at the top of that mountain before.

"I think everyone in the building understands the expectations, that standards are being risen."

Wilson's career trajectory, at least in his first 10 seasons, has mirrored that of Manning's, who won a Super Bowl with Denver in 2016.

He's tossed touchdowns at a nearly unmatched clip since entering the league in 2012, amassing 317 (including the playoffs) during his decade of professional play. That number is second to only — you guessed it — Peyton Manning (327).

He's also one of just four quarterbacks with a career QB rating higher than 100 through his first 10 seasons.

Wilson was on a similar pace of consistent proficiency during the 2021 campaign. Before a finger injury derailed his season, he led the NFL in yards per attempt (9.6) TD-INT ratio (10-1) and passer rating (125.3). Wilson finished last season with 3,113 passing yards and 25 TDs on a 64.8% completion rate, while throwing just six INTs. His total passer rating was 103.1.

And Sutton is ecstatic to have Wilson delivering dimes to him and the rest of the receiving corps next year.

The team's No. 1 receiver in 2021, Sutton racked up 776 yards on 58 catches and two TDs. He sat out all but one game of the 2020 season with a torn ACL.

"There's so much buzz, so much excitement that's coming around our team going into this season," Sutton added. "I'm just excited for that."

In addition to Wilson, Denver also added Pro Bowl pass rusher Randy Gregory, former Packers offensive tackle Billy Turner, CB K'Waun Williams and DE D.J. Jones.

Mix in the addition of a heralded offensive mind in Nathaniel Hackett, and Denver's expectations have increased exponentially in just months. And the duo of Wilson and Sutton will be a huge part of their endeavors.