Denver Broncos: 10 biggest mistakes in the George Paton era

1. Trading for Russell Wilson

Well, until something changes, this will be the biggest mistake that George Paton could ever make as a GM in the NFL. In fact, this could go down as one of the worst trades in the history of professional sports. Denver gave up multiple first and second-round picks along with a slew of players to get Wilson, who turns 35 in 2023.

To make matters worse, the Seattle Seahawks shockingly saw more success in 2022 than the Denver Broncos. They went 9-8 and made the postseason. Geno Smith was a breakout player last year and played significantly better than Wilson did. I don't think anyone truly saw this coming.

Russell Wilson had career lows across the board. It was the worst year of his NFL career, but I guess the bright side is that there really isn't anywhere for him to go but up, right? Right??? I do like Wilson's chances of bouncing back with Sean Payton, so I'm not entirely ready to call this a mistake, but right now, at this moment in time, it is a huge one.

Russell Wilson was constantly criticized last year, and people seemed to take it further than his play on the field, which was ridiculous to see. Denver hasn't had a first-round pick since drafting Patrick Surtain II back in 2021 because of the Russell Wilson trade.

I'm not sure if Paton would do this trade again if he had another chance, but I would not be surprised if he would stay far away.