The Denver Broncos ended 2024 with hope but entered the off-season with a massive to-do list. The first three items on that list included finding their way out of being roughly $40 million over the cap, a resolution with their aging $250 million quarterback who has underperformed his first two years, and then subsequently finding their next franchise signal caller. Easy, right?
If the Broncos were to simply cut Russell Wilson, they would absorb a simply unprecedented $85 million in dead cap, or have to split that number between the 2024 and 2025 seasons. The Broncos have struggled to win with appropriate cap space, let alone with almost $100 million in dead cap. The Broncos would need to find a way to overhaul a good chunk of their roster, move on from Wilson, and end the second-longest playoff drought in the NFL, behind just the New York Jets. The Broncos still have limited capital in the 2024 NFL Draft and have several holes to fill: mainly the corner position, interior defensive line, offensive playmakers, the pass rush, and potentially a center if Lloyd Cushenberry leaves in free agency.
Most daunting of all of this for GM George Paton would be the need to add high-end talent to his roster, while starting the spring $40 million over his cap total. However, the roughly $30 million jump in cap space for NFL teams from 2023 to 2024 should allow Paton infinitely more breathing room, and one could argue that it saved his job.
The Broncos now sit at roughly $10 million over the salary cap, making their navigation of the salary cap much easier. The Broncos can open up space and make their spring much easier with a couple of simple moves, such as moving on from interior defensive lineman DJ Jones, or injury-plagued wide receiver Tim Patrick.
Given how much easier the Broncos' cap situation has become, it is fair to assume that George Paton's job got a lot easier as well. Paton no longer needs to shed almost a sixth of the Broncos' existing cap, and has more wiggle room to be aggressive in adding star power to the Broncos' core. Paton has a huge weight now off his shoulders, and it could be enough to save his job in Denver, at least for one more year.