Yesterday, the Denver Broncos announced they had come to an agreement on a five-year contract for General Manager George Paton. It’s a well-deserved deal that will keep Paton leading the front office endeavors of the franchise through the 2030 season. Truth be told, he has come a long way since his initial blunders with Broncos.
Once on the hotseat for the failed Russell Wilson trade and the one-and-done head coaching hire of Nathaniel Hackett, things weren’t looking good for Rick Spielman’s former
right-hand man. A lot of fans across Broncos Country were vocal about their displeasure—with a strong contingent advocating for his firing after the aforementioned snafus.
However, sometimes it takes a little bit of patience to help right the ship. And there’s no doubt Paton’s scouting prowess and free agent signings over the past several seasons alongside Head Coach Sean Payton have helped erase some of the taint of those blunders. From the bottom of the AFC West, to one of the division and conference’s most formidable teams, Paton has played an integral role in the team’s success from a roster building standpoint.
His initial draft with the franchise (prior to the Wilson-Hackett Saga) in 2021 netted star players like Patrick Surtain II and Quinn Meinerz. Additionally, Jonathon Cooper was a tremendous seventh-round selection, who has become a core player for Denver’s tenacious defense. Netting three high-caliber starters in any draft is rare in itself. Finding two who have become All-Pros and arguably the best at their respective positions? Quite the accomplishment.
In subsequent drafts, starters like Marvin Mims, Riley Moss, Nik Bonitto, Luke Wattenberg, and Bo Nix have been hits. While the jury is still out on a handful of other selections, there is no doubt Denver’s roster is filled with talent top to bottom thanks to Paton’s draft day efforts. Perfection is impossible as a general manager when it comes to the draft, but I’d rank his ability as one of the best in the NFL.
The same applies to free agency. You take shots and a decent amount of them miss. But more often than not, his free agent signings have helped strengthen the team. Players like Zach Allen, Mike McGlinchey, Talanoa Hufanga, Malcolm Roach, and several others have become key cogs to help Denver to get to their recent success.
On top of that, the draft day trade for John Franklin-Myers a few years back was quite masterful. Most recently, his big swing for Jaylen Wadle earlier this Spring has great odds to pay big off big for the Broncos. Last but not least, his knack for extending in-house players with team-friendly contracts that beat the market, have also been a tremendous and much-needed change of pace from the John Elway GM era.
The foundations of the franchise are strong, and the future looks bright for Denver. It wasn’t all sunshine and roses at first, but the turnaround has been impressive. Paton is a big reason for that and I’m glad the Walton-Penner Ownership group has decided to keep him around for the long haul. It was the right move to make, and I’m excited to see Paton and Payton continue to lead this team in the right direction for years to come.
