DENVER — Courtland Sutton began his day Wednesday morning with a man-to-man meeting with Broncos head coach Sean Payton.
"We had a nice fireside chat,'' Sutton said with a smile.
His day finished by slugging two home runs to win the UCHealth Healthy Swings Home Run Derby at Coors Field. Sutton was one of eight Broncos participating in the Home Run Derby. Others were quarterback Jarrett Stidham, defensive linemen Matt Henningsen and Jared Allen, cornerback Pat Surtain II, running back Jaleel McLaughlin and outside linebackers Baron Browning and Jonathon Cooper.
Henningsen was first after the first round thanks to a series of line drives during the 90-second swing session. But in the second, 60-second session, Sutton hammered his second homer of the night to overtake his teammate.
"I was so close,'' Henningsen said. "But it was great. It was for a great cause and I loved it.''
In all $120,000 was raised to support Next Chapter, a charitable group that supports veterans in need.
Sutton ended his unofficial offseason holdout by reporting to mandatory minicamp this week. In a press conference Tuesday, Sutton spoke from the heart, letting it be known that while he loves playing football, he was disappointed at how the Broncos handled his request for a contract adjustment. His message apparently concerned Payton enough to bring Sutton in for a talk prior to the Broncos' final offseason practice Wednesday.
“Courtland and I met this morning for quite a while,'' Payton said following practice Wednesday. "We have a good relationship. He is important to what we are doing. He didn’t have to visit with the media. I told him, ‘It’s up to you if you want to do it.’ To his credit, he did. I would say he is important, and I think he knows that.”
By evening, Sutton was swinging away.
"I didn't think I would get there,'' said Sutton, who also won the HR Derby event in 2022. "Matt had a really good first round. And his second round was really good, too, so I was kind of nervous. This (the trophy) will go up on the shelf somewhere right next to the one I got two years ago so that will be nice."
Sutton not only starred on SMU's football team, he played briefly for the school's basketball team. This is some kind of special athlete. As for baseball.
"I played from 6 years old until 17,'' Sutton said. "I got a little bit of experience but I'm 28 now so it's been a long time since I hit a ball."
Stidham had the best line-drive stroke — good for a baseball game if not for a Home Run Derby.
"I played baseball up until after my freshman year in high school, I guess,'' Stidham said. "I pitched and I played center. I was one of those guys who was either hitting it to the fence, or I was striking out."
The 6-foot-5, 285-pound Allen found his hitting stroke in the second round, hitting a home run and other deep drives. He was fifth after the first round and may have finished in the top three (only the winner and first-round dollar winner were announced).
"Baseball was my first love,'' Allen said. "I tried to quit football after my freshman year in high school so I could just play baseball. But my football coach wouldn't let me. I'm happy with the decision I made."
Browning, a left-handed hitter, was off with his timing in the first round but drilled a ball in the second round high off the right-center screen.
Cooper and McLaughlin didn't play any baseball growing up and didn't make the finals.
"I did not play baseball as a kid growing up and I told my mom, 'Hey mom, if I get out here and hit really well, then maybe you put me in the wrong sport,'' McLaughlin said with a laugh.
As it turned out, mom did good guiding McLaughlin to football running back.
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