Find out why Denver Broncos wide receiver Courtland Sutton got a $500,000 bonus on Sunday

The final weekend of the NFL regular season brought the usual intrigue over which teams would clinch the final playoff spots and who would get the No. 1 overall draft pick. But there was also the smattering of money-packed milestones for some players who were within reach of lucrative contract incentives in Week 18.  

Denver Broncos wide receiver Courtland Sutton was among those players. He needed 82 yards receiving against the Chiefs Sunday for a $500,000 bonus. He got 98 yards on five catches in the Broncos’ 38-0 victory over Kansas City’s backups.

“Today, with you know, trying to keep track of some of those bonuses, those are good problems,” coach Sean Payton said after leading the Broncos into the postseason in his second season in Denver. “It’s hard to keep track of yards, catches are easy. Sutton needed 82 yards.”

Sutton had a fantastic regular season for the Broncos. He overcame a slow start and exceeded 1,000 yards — 1,081 (on 81 receptions) — for just the second time in his career. He called it “really dope” that the Broncos will be playing in a wild-card game and that the team gets to “continue this legacy of this season.”

Broncos linebacker Cody Barton also had an opportunity to make a little extra money before the end of the regular season, but it didn’t come to pass. He could have made $250,000 with an interception.