Is GM George Paton Safe With Broncos? NFL Insider Answers
After what has been a treacherous up-and-down season for the Denver Broncos, including a 1-5 start and the benching of quarterback Russell Wilson, it appeared as if there were going to be some major changes in Dove Valley moving forward, including the potential firing of general manager George Paton.
However, according to NFL Network Insider Ian Rapoport, sources inside Broncos HQ believe him to be safe due to his talent-scouring abilities and strong working relationship with head coach Sean Payton and CEO Greg Penner.
“While Penner makes the final decision and is in charge, Payton's voice is also strong,” Rapaport said in his report. “To be sure, there will be plenty of talks aimed at improving for the future. But the alliterative triumvirate of Payton, Paton, and Penner appear to be staying together.”
Rapoport went on to provide further context on Paton's job security.
“It hasn't been perfect for the respected Paton, who in 2022 hired Nathaniel Hackett and traded for quarterback Russell Wilson. Hackett was fired after less than one full season, and Wilson appears to be next out the door. But those moves came before Payton and Broncos owner and CEO Greg Penner arrived. Since the trio has been together, the arrow has been pointing up, with the Broncos winning seven of their last 10 games and in line for their first winning season since 2016 if they can win Sunday's finale against the Las Vegas Raiders.”
Paton has been a polarizing figure in his time as the head man in charge of the organization, going all the way back to drafting cornerback Patrick Surtain II over quarterback Justin Fields in what was viewed as a highly contentious move at the time.
As a two-time Pro Bowler and All-Pro, Surtain has developed into one of the league's best cornerbacks while Fields has struggled to gain traction as a consistently reliable option as a signal caller, so that decision has played out well for Paton.
Before Payton arrived as head coach, Paton had been at the head of the draft squad that landed quality starters in right guard Quinn Meinerz, edge defender Baron Browning, and running back Javonte Williams, as well as landing pass rushers in Jonathon Cooper and Nik Bonitto. Safety Caden Sterns, who was also procured by Paton, figured to be a key cog on the Broncos' defense prior to a pair of injuries that cost him the better part of the past two seasons.
On the flip side, hiring ex-head coach Nathaniel Hackett was a tremendously beautiful disaster of epic proportions, and Paton was absolutely fleeced by the Seattle Seahawks in the trade for Wilson. Paton relinquished multiple first and second-round draft picks, plus more, along with a trio of veteran players, to acquire Wilson.
Paton's eventual decision, which was purportedly heavily influenced by the new Walton/Penner ownership group, to hand out a massive contract extension to Wilson prior to even seeing him play a single snap now has the franchise on the doorstep of facing an $85 million dead-cap hit beginning in March, should the team decide to release the veteran QB prior to the fifth day of the new league year.
The Broncos can split that dead-cap hit over the next two seasons by designating Wilson's release as a post-June 1 release to alleviate the pressure, but they will still see an NFL record $50 million hit the books in dead money in 2025.
There has been a lot to like about what Paton has brought to the franchise over the last three years, but it is also incredibly easy to see that he had nearly all of his power stripped away from him by Penner when he made the decision to hire Payton a year ago. Payton is perceived to be the man pulling the strings of the Paton puppet at this point.
Continuity is a critical aspect of success at the NFL level, and the Broncos have seen some of the most turmoil in change of any franchise across the league. Maybe keeping Paton, who has helped turn the team around despite some major gaffes in the not-too-distant past, around for another year will help build that continuity and get the Broncos back into the playoffs in 2024.
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