Here are the three best moves of the George Paton era with the Broncos

Drafting Quinn Meinerz

Taken very late in the third round of the 2021 NFL Draft, Denver Broncos guard Quinn Meinerz just became one of the highest-paid at his position after his dominant 2023 season with Denver, where he started all 17 games. The $80 million contract keeps Meinerz in Denver for years to come. and one of the best ways to sustain success for the long-term in the NFL is being strong in the trenches.

Not only is Quinn Meinerz the Broncos best OL, but he's also a top-5 guard in the NFL and plays with an edge that not many other players have. Being able to find this diamond in the rough was a masterclass from Paton, who is largely thought of as having a very good eye for college talent.

For all of his draft misses, Quinn Meinerz was a grand-slam and is a credit to George Paton and his scouting team.

Pulling the plug on Russell Wilson

It's largely believed that both George Paton and Sean Payton collaborate on the roster, but many have also said that Sean Payton gets the final say. However, George Paton does deserve some credit for at least helping decide to make this major move. Russell Wilson inked a five-year extension with the Denver Broncos before playing a down for the team, and that extension seemed to be popular among the fanbase.

Well, it just did not work out, but there were some glimpses of the old Russell Wilson at times during the 2023 NFL Season. There could have been a sliver of an argument that the Broncos could have kept Wilson around for another year, but it was clear that this marriage was simply not working and was not going to work for the long-term.

Even though the Broncos will take on an NFL-record dead cap hit of $85 million, ripping the Band-Aid off now instead of later was the best move for the team for long-term.