Paton Reacts to Tyreek Hill Trade: Broncos Still 'Have a Long Way to Go'

George Paton was unable to hide his sense of relief now that Tyreek Hill no longer calls the AFC West home.

"I hope he does well in Miami. I do," the Broncos general manager said Sunday at the NFL owners meetings in Palm Beach, Fla., via KOA Radio's Brandon Krisztal. "I'm sure he'll do great."

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However, a stark difference exists between comfort and contentment, which Paton made sure not to shield from prying reporters. Just because the Chiefs abruptly traded Hill to the Dolphins earlier this week, theoretically loosening their stranglehold on the division, doesn't mean Denver is taking any victory laps.

"Until they trade the quarterback and the head coach, I'm probably not going to worry about that too much," Paton said. "They still have a lot of really good weapons. They have one of the best coaches, one of the best quarterbacks. Obviously, they've set the standard, and we have a long way to go."

The standard — six straight divisional titles, two Super Bowl appearances, and one Lombardi Trophy since 2016 — was catalyzed by Hill, who terrorized the Broncos over that span, catching 46 passes for 492 yards, and eight receiving touchdowns in 11 career meetings against the orange and blue. Denver has lost 13 straight consecutive games to the Chiefs, the last victory coming before Hill turned pro.

After acquiring several big-name players, none bigger than quarterback Russell Wilson and edge rusher Randy Gregory, the Broncos are aiming to snap the ignominious streak — and perhaps even start their own. But so are the other, similarly-upgraded inhabitants of the Wild West: the Chargers and Raiders, who've also imported intimidating levels of star power.

All hail the AFC West 🙌 pic.twitter.com/VrrFJeXeYB
— PFF (@PFF) March 22, 2022

Every team is 0-0 this time of year, when optimism surges at annual highs. Wisely, Paton isn't concerned with winning March so much as he's consumed by capturing September, October, November, December, and January.

When the crown actually changes hands.

“It’s hard for us to really talk about competing in our division until we do," Paton said, via DNVR's Andrew Mason.

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