Denver Broncos: Grading all of George Paton’s trades as rookie GM

The Denver Broncos have made some major trades in year one under general manager George Paton. We grade all of his trades as a rookie GM.

The 2021 NFL trade deadline has come and gone, and it’s safe to say that the Denver Broncos were part of the biggest trade of the festivities. First-year GM George Paton sent Von Miller to the Los Angeles Rams, loading up his 2022 NFL Draft war chest in the process.

When Paton was hired as GM of the Denver Broncos, he vowed to be “in on every deal” and so far, that has proven to be an accurate statement. Paton has also made good on his word to be aggressive without being reckless, and it’s clear that this “rookie” general manager is no rookie of the business side of the NFL.

He’s negotiated huge contracts and he’s now negotiated a blockbuster trade.

Denver Broncos: Grading all of George Paton’s trades as rookie GM

Not including his trades during the 2021 NFL Draft, I want to take a look at George Paton’s first-year trades as an NFL general manager, starting with the first trade he struck all the way back in April.

How do these trades look in terms of the early returns? What is the best-case scenario with some of these deals? How did Paton do in terms of perceived value?

Now that Paton is no longer allowed to make trades until “year two” on the job, let’s take a look at all of his wheeling and dealing with full control over the Denver Broncos’ roster, starting with a trade that certainly drew mixed reviews at the time, and will continue to do so over the course of Justin Fields and Mac Jones’ careers…