Is Denver Broncos GM George Paton criminally underrated?

Does Denver Broncos general manager George Paton deserve more respect and credit than he gets? Paton is not yet considered among the league’s top GMs.

Denver Broncos general manager George Paton understands he has a long way to go in the NFL as a top executive.

Earlier this offseason, Paton labeled himself a “7-9 general manager” because that was the Denver Broncos’ record last year.

However, it’s far too early in the process to count the team’s record against Paton, who inherited a roster built by John Elway and Matt Russell over the last handful of years.

While it’s certainly fair for Paton to not be counting his chickens before they hatch, he shouldn’t mind if I go ahead and do that for him.

I think George Paton is being criminally underrated as an executive, starting with one simple fact:

A lot of people genuinely still think John Elway is the one running the team from a day-to-day general management perspective.

As in, a lot.

Why is George Paton not showing up on some of these fun offseason lists?

Paton and the Denver Broncos front office were ranked 14th in the league among executives and overall front offices by Pro Football Network.

I’m just not certain how anyone is keeping Paton out of the top 10 of these particular lists.

Do some of the executives listed ahead of Paton deserve credit and recognition for what they’ve done throughout history like Bill Belichick?

Absolutely.

Does Mickey Loomis deserve credit for moving around $100 million on the salary cap just about every year to put his roster together? Yes.

Do Brandon Beane and Les Snead deserve the praise for putting together some absolute juggernaut-type rosters?

100 percent, yes.

However, let’s get some respect to George Paton, who may have been a “7-9 general manager” in his rookie year on the job, but other events took place that should have Paton higher on these rather objective lists.

He and his staff won the award for best 2021 NFL Draft class.

He gave big-money deals to key, core players on this roster in Courtland Sutton, Tim Patrick, and Justin Simmons.

He made a blockbuster trade for quarterback Russell Wilson, filling the team’s biggest roster need of the last six years.

He went out in free agency and pulled his top target — pass rusher Randy Gregory — away from the Dallas Cowboys after the Cowboys had reached a contractual agreement with Gregory already.

He’s made a ton of other smaller moves that should have Paton getting recognition from people that truly know the game, but at this point, his contributions are getting a bit underrated.

The award for the best draft in 2021 certainly contradicts that, but at this point, it’s about more than just being 7-9 last season. It’s about the Denver Broncos having legitimate Super Bowl hopes again barely 18 months into Paton’s tenure as GM of the team.

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This guy has been outstanding, and we know he’s widely respected within the league already. It’s only a matter of time before everyone else starts to take notice, too.