The Denver Broncos have something special brewing, and much of the team's success over the past two seasons is due to the sharp eye of general manager George Paton, whose tenure with the team got off to a very rocky start.
The Broncos were among the most dysfunctional teams in the NFL in the 2021 and 2022 seasons, the first two of Paton's tenure with the team. It wasn't until he swung a major trade to bring on Sean Payton that things began to turn around, and even before that, many in Broncos Country called for Paton to be fired.
Well, it seems like all it took for the franchise was getting the right head coach in the building, as Denver is now a Super bowl juggernaut. Paton's high-end ability to evaluate talent in the NFL Draft is his best quality, and he's surely one of the more well-respected GMs in the NFL. Well, there is an NFC team with Paton connections that is currently in the market for a new GM.
Adam Schefter thinks George Paton remains with the Denver Broncos
In a recent appearance with Altitude Sports Radio, ESPN insider Adam Schefter was asked about the status of Paton with the Broncos, and his answer was rather straightforward.
“My understanding is that George is pretty content, and Denver is intent on keeping him in Denver.”
At the end of January, the Minnesota Vikings shockingly fired Kwesi Adofo-Mensah, their former GM. It's obviously not a shock that Adofo-Mensah got fired for his performance, but making the move with free agency this close was the main shock here.
And Paton himself has massive connections to the Vikings franchise, and with Paton approaching the last year of his contract with the Broncos, many across the NFL immediately wondered if the Vikings could swing a major trade to acquire Paton, which is allowed.
At the moment, Paton and the Broncos ownership could be in the middle of negotating a contract extension to keep him in Denver, and that would be the right move. Schefter's recent comments above also seem to indicate that the team's GM isn't going anywhere.
This is great news for the Broncos, as the team has done nothing but trend in the right direction and consistently make smart, aggressive roster moves. It would be a flat-out travesty if the Broncos traded Paton to the Vikings and totally halted the momentum that has been building now for the last two seasons.
Sure, Paton isn't perfect, but no GM is. However, he's beginning to see many of his draft picks break out and develop, and the free agency moves in recent years have largely panned out.
Overall, while Paton might not be the best GM in the NFL, he's absolutely one of the best. Denver has one of the best overall rosters in the league, a healthy amount of cap space for 2026, and a strong group of draft evaluators in the front office.
All in all, the operation is smooth and must continue. Hopefully, Paton and the Broncos soon agree to an extension to keep him in Denver for years to come.