Denver Broncos general manager George Paton and head coach Nathaniel Hackett met the media ahead of training camp. What were the top takeaways?
On Wednesday, the Denver Broncos will officially be back on the football field for good in 2022.
The 2022 NFL season is upon us, but before football, we got the chance to hear from general manager George Paton and head coach Nathaniel Hackett on the current state of the team, the roster, their impressions on the offseason, and more.
And as you might expect, they had a lot of great, insightful things to say about one of the most memorable and monumental offseasons in team history.
https://twitter.com/i/broadcasts/1vAGRkvLjpkJl
What were some of the top takeaways? Let’s have a look at five big ones.
Denver Broncos presser takeaway no. 1: Russell Wilson trade impact, extension update
There are championship expectations in Broncos Country and there’s a ton of buzz around the team right now.
Paton and Hackett both acknowledged that, and I don’t think anyone’s denying the impact Russell Wilson has made on those expectations. He’s completely turned things upside down for this team.
George Paton reflecting on the trade for Russell Wilson:
— Aric DiLalla (@AricDiLalla) July 26, 2022
"It was game-changing."
Paton was asked deliberately about a potential contract extension for Wilson, who has two years left on his deal, and said that those discussions are going to be kept in-house.
He did, however, make a vow, saying, “At the right time, we’ll get a deal done.”
At this point, there’s no reason to do anything but take Paton at his word. He’s made good on every other promise so far, even the biggest ones.
Ultimately, though, the Russell Wilson deal was never guaranteed to happen. Paton noted that he stepped into a situation with the Broncos with a good foundation, and he said without adding to that foundation, acquiring Wilson would have been impossible.
#Broncos Paton said we needed foundation to get Wilson. "He wouldn't have come here to lose. Now it's coming together. We need to keep improving." #Denver7
— Troy Renck (@TroyRenck) July 26, 2022
Paton is a very wise general manager who has been around this league for a very long time. He wasn’t going to be unrealistic about the state of the Denver Broncos’ roster, but he also wouldn’t have taken the job — at least in my opinion — if he didn’t feel like a lot of other people have felt:
That the Broncos were a quarterback away.
Paton certainly didn’t win early popularity contests with a more patient approach to adding a quarterback, but at this point in time, you’d think the fans were going to commission a statue outside of Mile High for the guy.