Denver Broncos General Manager George Paton didn't really begin his tenure with the team on the right foot. He quickly found himself making two horrendous mistakes with the trade for Russell Wilson and the hiring of Nathaniel Hackett.
You really can't fault Paton for taking those big swings, though, as both moves were largely praised at the time. The way the franchise has rebounded, though, is flat-out impressive and a massive indicator that Paton is among the best at what he does - he just made some early mistakes.
One area where the Broncos have really excelled is overall talent acquisition and paying that talent fair value. Recently, the Los Angeles Chargers signed one of their best players to a contract extension, and that move really proves how much of a genius Paton is.
Denver Broncos have to laugh at the Chargers extension for Derwin James
At the end of May, the Chargers extended their stud defensive back. Derwin James, on a three-year deal worth $75.6 million, which comes out to $25.2 million per year. James is now the highest-paid safety in the NFL on a per-year basis, just barely above Kyle Hamilton of the Baltimore Ravens.
James has been an awesome player for the Chargers for quite some time. In 2025, he finished with three interceptions, seven passes defended, 2.0 sacks, 94 total tackles, six tackles for loss, and eight quarterback hits, earning Pro Bowl and second-team All-Pro nods.
However, James is now set to enter his age-30 season, and this deal feels like one of those contracts that rewards a player for what he's done, rather than what he's going to do in the future. James is a very good player, but he's getting up there in age, and had injury concerns earlier in his career.
For some perspective, here is what the Broncos are paying some of their key players in the secondary on a per-year basis:
Patrick Surtain II: $24 million per year
Talanoa Hufanga: $13 million per year
Brandon Jones: $6.7 million per year
Not only is James getting paid more per year than the best defensive back in the NFL, but he's also getting paid more per year than Hufanga and Jones combined.
In 2025, Hufanga racked up 11 passes defended, 2.0 sacks, 106 total tackles, six tackles for loss, and three quarterback hits, so his production was right on par with James'. And despite playing in just 14 games in 2025, Jones finished with one interception, seven passes defended, and 78 total tackles.
But even in 2024, Jones had three interceptions, 10 passes defended, and 115 total tackles, so his production has been on par with James, as well! It's clear that the Broncos starting safety duo is special, and this fresh James contract only further proves how much of a genius Paton is. He's getting a top-3 safety duo in the NFL for about $20 million per year, yet the Chargers just paid James over $25 million per season.
And we haven't even mentioned Surtain that much here. It's clear that the Chargers front office just hasn't made the best moves. Los Angeles has gone 11-6 in each year of the Jim Harbaugh era, but the roster has largely remained stagnant in terms of overall talent, and the Chargers are also now overpaying a bit for some of their best players.
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