Apparently, there were rumors that the Minnesota Vikings would bring back George Paton to run their organization given Paton was in the final year of his contract with the Denver Broncos. That line of thinking seemed to be dead on arrival and plenty more rumors suggesting a contract extension for Paton is in the mix to stay in Denver long-term.
There are no indications that Paton is on his way out in Denver or wants to leave. ESPN senior national NFL reporter Jeremy Fowler reported that Paton appears
set to return, and Broncos coach Sean Payton has expressed hope that Paton will sign a contract extension.
No tenue is without mistakes. The hiring of Nathaniel Hackett was certainly a fireable mistake and the Russell Wilson trade was just a desperate swing of the bat to try to turn around a struggling franchise. Despite those two critical failures, Paton was able to keep the boat afloat by drafting amazingly well. He has added a great deal of talent. The pairing with Sean Payton then brought Bo Nix and back-to-back playoff berths, so its safe to say he has survived those early mistakes and built a much-improved reputation as a general manager.
For those reasons, I think he should be a prime candidate to lock in a long-term contract extension with this franchise. As a fan, I feel like they are in good hands with Payton and Paton and I see no reason to mess with the mojo they’ve developed together running the team.
Broncos daily recap
I think we already knew Sean Payton don’t care about the outside noise.
Outside chatter irrelevant to Sean Payton and Broncos’ offseason approach
Sean Payton isn’t losing sleep over the critics. Speaking at the NFL’s Annual League Meeting, the Broncos head coach addressed the fan frustration around what initially looked like a quiet free agency period, telling reporters plainly that the team “cannot chase what others outside of the building feel like you should be doing.” Payton stressed patience and having a plan, noting that the front office had a clear pecking order of priorities heading into the offseason and checked every box — capped off by the blockbuster Waddle trade. Coming off a 14-win season with few major roster holes, Denver’s approach was always about surgical moves over splashy spending, and Payton wants everyone to trust the process.
Potent quotables
Team President Damani Leech met with the media during the NFL owners meeting this week. He had lots of stadium news to share.
On if the Broncos are eligible to play in an international game this season
“A lot of the home teams have certainly been announced for international games. The visiting teams, not so much, other than a few sites. We haven’t heard anything, but as you know, selfishly, personally I love the international ambitions of the league. [Owner & CEO] Greg [Penner] and [Owner] Carrie [Walton Penner] support it. [Head Coach] Sean [Payton] is a big fan of it. Anything we can do to support the overall league initiative, we’re on board.”
On if the Broncos are in the mix to play in Mexico City
“I think technically we are, but we haven’t heard anything.”
On the breadth and complexity of what needs to happen open a new stadium by 2031
“I think what’s important is everyone understanding that while 2031 seems like a long way away, these construction projects take multiple years. You have to get prepared with a number of city and community processes that we’re all invested in and engaged in right now. We can’t do it alone. It’s going to take a lot of key partners at the city level, at the state level, Denver Water—there are real estate transactions that have to be finalized. So all of those things are important. I think it’s just important everybody understanding the timeline is realistic, but it’s also ambitious.”
On the Community Benefit Agreement process for the preferred stadium site
“The Community Benefits Agreement is a critical part of this. When we talk about the community and engaging with the community, that happens on multiple levels. While we’ve appreciated conversations with neighborhood groups—as you know, we’ve had three different large community groups—that process has not officially begun. We’ve had multiple conversations with the La Alma Lincoln Park Neighborhood Association and look forward to engaging in that process.”
On if there is a hope that the CBA timeline goes more quickly than the Ball Arena CBA
“Our expectation is for it to be much shorter than that. We’ve had conversations with City Council representatives and neighborhood representatives as well. While we don’t have a specific timeline, we certainly expect it to be shorter than that.”
On what training camp will look like for fans this summer
“The [new] training facility, we’ll all be moving there in less than three months, which is exciting both from a football standpoint and from a staff and business staff standpoint. Shortly after we move out late June, the current facility will be torn down and we’ll build back new temporary bleachers. We expect capacity to be almost twice what we had last year. We’ll be in those temporary bleachers from a fan perspective this season. Then shortly after camp ends, we’ll start to build the berm back up and be more similar to what fans are used to.”
On when construction on the new Broncos Park Powered by CommonSpirit will be complete
“The bulk of it obviously is the actual building that you all look at every day. We’ll move in there in June. The berm itself should get built sometime during this season. That one is less concerning from a timing standpoint. The building itself is what we’re really excited about. For our football players, for them to be able to use it, and coaches and staff. I think it will just be great for the organization. It’s a tremendous credit to [Owner & CEO] Greg [Penner] and [Owner] Carrie [Walton Penner] and their investment in the organization and putting the team in a position to be successful on the field.”
On the construction progress of the new Broncos Park Powered by CommonSpirit
“My office looks out at that building every day, so I love seeing the progress that gets made. I like when I leave for a few days and come back, you can see even more progress. Players like [WR] Jaylen [Waddle] sign with us and they come and see the building, it’s great to see their reaction when they see it. Like I said, it’s a great opportunity for our football team to get better. It’s another sort of arrow in their quiver for success on the field. I’m excited about it.”
On how critical Denver Water is to the stadium project
“Denver Water is a critical component to the overall project. We have a great relationship with them and [CEO/Manager of Denver Water] Alan Salazar. We certainly respect and understand their priorities. We have good and open conversations. They want this to happen and so we continue to work with them. I feel like we will be able to solve it.”
On how much more seamless it is now in his fifth year compared to when he first started
“Five years sounds like a long time. It is hard to believe it. I feel incredibly fortunate to be in this position to do the things that we have done with their support and leadership. Everything from renovations and uniforms. I think we are the only team—the league just talked about it—we are the only team that is actually involved in an active training facility and stadium project at the same time. ALL. IN. ALL COVERED. All the things that we have done in the community. I feel incredibly fortunate to work with them but more specifically to your point, it is great.”
On conversations with Denver Summit FC as they build a stadium and mixed-use development
“[Denver Summit FC Owner] Rob Cohen, [Denver Summit FC President] Jen Millet, they’ve all been great partners. We’ve welcomed them, tried to be as helpful as we can to them as they enter the market and try to do what they’re doing. I was at the game on Saturday afternoon. The environment, the experience was just one of those goosebump moments at the start of the match. Just happy to be a part of doing something special like that. It’s obviously even more exciting to be a part of it, having [Broncos Owner & Denver Summit FC Alternate Governor] Mellody [Hobson] be involved. It was emotional for a lot of people on their side and some of the fans in the stadium. To shatter a record like that, it was just great to be a part of it.”
On if the plan is to have the new stadium feel like Colorado
“I think it is, broadly. I think it’s certainly too early for renderings. Of my five years, the first three years were about uniforms and now they’re about stadium renderings. (Laughs) I understand it. There’s a lot of excitement. But we’re certainly focused on—we talked about the ambitious timeline we have. We’re focused on the things that we need to focus on around community, and the city, and the state, and Denver Water and real estate. All of those things are really important. At the right time, I’ll be at the front of the line ready to unveil some renderings.”
On if they have identified an architect or design firm for the project
“Throughout this process we’ve talked about [facilities], toured facilities; we’ve toured stadiums. We’ve engaged multiple architects. [We] feel good about where we are. Good enough to where we feel like our focus needs to be on the community process, the municipal process, real estate—that’s where our focus and attention is.”
On if football momentum influences business momentum
“Yes. What [Head Coach] Sean [Payton] and [General Manager] George [Paton] have done and built is tremendous. To have a great GM, great head coach, quarterback in Bo Nix—the guy’s in the building almost every day working out, getting back, getting ready. Great ownership, all of those things. When we have all of the pieces in place. Then what I’m most proud of is that our team met the moment from a business standpoint. We have been putting in work for the last several years, and we’re seeing the fruition of it. I think we lead the league in attendance this year. People showed up. They were loud. They leaned into our ‘Louder Sooner’ campaign with Peyton and taking direction from Sean on when to be loud. Our fans were just tremendous. This was a really, really great season. It was just an honor to be able to host an AFC Championship Game. I hope we get to do many, many more.”
Under the radar
When Sean Payton was hired, given his pedigree and history of success, it was only natural to think there was a good possibility general manager George Paton would ultimately get pushed out. Instead, we’ve seen the two meld together into a power 1-2 punch running this football team. The franchise is certainly better for it.
The FEED happenings
GratefulBronco with the good find from The Athletic on ‘anonymous sources’ from the league meeting this week. There were some pretty bad takes… or were they jealous? I’m going to lean jealous.
Post your own thoughts on MHR’s Feed.
Broncos mock draft
Let’s simulate some second round picks…
The first simulation I ran the Broncos traded out of the second round. I’m not here for that noise, so I kept the three sims that actually produced a pick in the second round.
Simulation #1
There was another trade here, but it was Denver moving up one spot to select Florida defensive tackle Caleb Banks.
Caleb Banks, DT, Florida: Banks is one of the most physically imposing prospects in the class at 6-6, 327 pounds with rare athleticism for his size. After transferring from Louisville, he broke out at Florida with 21 tackles, seven TFLs, 4.5 sacks, and two forced fumbles in his best season. There aren’t many 330-pounders who can get into the backfield as quickly as Banks — his get-off and arm-over move are legitimate pass-rush tools. The concerns are real though: inconsistent pad level, a tendency to end up on the ground, and a 26.1% missed-tackle rate per PFF. A foot injury also cut his final college season short. He’s a late Day One talent with boom-or-bust appeal.
Simulation #2
Yet another draft, but this time the Broncos moved up to the 54th selection to get Texas defensive tackle Lee Hunter.
Lee Hunter, DT, Texas Tech: Hunter is a classic tone-setter at 6-4, 330 pounds who specializes in controlling the line of scrimmage and swallowing run lanes. He keys the snap as well as any interior lineman in the class, consistently firing off the ball first and using leverage to maximize his play strength against both single blocks and double teams. The limitation is in the pass-rush department — his toolkit is largely limited to the bull rush right now, which could cap him as a two-down player early in his career. Conditioning and pad level late in drives are also flags. He projects as a 1-technique or nose tackle and should come off the board on Day Two.
Simulation #3
Denver would finally stand pat at 62 to take Northwestern offensive tackle Caleb Tiernan in the second round.
Caleb Tiernan, OT, Northwestern: Tiernan is the “safe pick” tackle in this class. At 6-8, 323 pounds, the former four-star recruit started every game over his final three seasons at Northwestern and earned Second-Team All-Big Ten honors in 2025. His pass protection is the selling point — his hand placement, punch timing, and feel for rush angles are polished enough to keep a quarterback clean from day one. The knock is his run blocking, where inconsistent leg drive and his tall frame can work against him when defenders play with leverage. A move inside to guard isn’t out of the question. He’s a Day Two lock who offers a high floor at a premium position.
Of the three simulated picks, which one would you be most excited about if Denver selected him?
