The Denver Broncos have done a masterful job over the last couple of offseasons. Let's rank the 10 best decisions of this current era of Broncos football. There is a huge reason why the Broncos are as good as they are: Sean Payton and George Paton.
These two have made good move after good move in what is now their third offseason working together. This team is right on the cusp of turning into a legitimate contender, and this isn't just some silly coincidence. The Broncos front office led by these two have made so many quality decisions over the last few offseasons.
And we ranked the 10 best right here.
Ranking the 10 best decisions thus far of the Sean Payton-George Paton era
10. Trading for John Franklin-Myers
This was an under-the-radar trade at the time, but it does seem like John Franklin-Myers was the missing link for the Broncos defensive front. He had a career-year in 2024, racking up seven sacks, 40 total tackles, eight tackles for loss, and 18 QB hits.
It will be interesting to see if he gets a contract extension this offseason. In my opinion, he is deserving of one.
9. Filling notable needs in 2025 free agency
Players like Evan Engram, Dre Greenlaw, and Talanoa Hufanga are key players that fill urgent needs for the Denver Broncos. This was simply some high-end free agency work by Sean Payton and George Paton, and it signals that this team is serious about winning now.
Denver (smartly) investing into the free agency market in 2025 was the right move.
8. Drafting Marvin Mims Jr
An elite return specialist and someone who really started to find his footing on offense toward the end of the 2024 NFL Season, Marvin Mims Jr is turning into a key piece of two different units on the Denver Broncos.
In an ideal world, Mims develops significantly as a wide receiver and actually does less returning and earns more offensive snaps. You have to wonder if Sean Payton is hoping that Mims eventually turns into a version of Brandin Cooks, who Payton and the New Orleans Saints drafted back in 2014.
7. Extending key defensive players like Patrick Surtain II and Jonathon Cooper (and more to come!)
It's awesome to see that the Denver Broncos are taking care of their own. Recent extensions for players like Patrick Surtain II and Jonathon Cooper prove that Denver wants to draft-develop-retain. This is a great model for long-term success in the NFL. Another in-house player like Nik Bonitto is likely signing a huge extension soon.
Denver hasn't really messed around with their player extensions, either - they are rewarding the players that deserve to be paid.
6. Hiring Vance Joseph as Defensive Coordinator
I understand that Vance Joseph is not perfect, but he has truly been able to turn this defense around into one of the best units in the NFL, and the reason why this team seemed to struggle down the stretch on defense can mostly be attributed to personnel, and we saw Denver kind of prove this by signing Dre Greenlaw and Talanoa Hufanga in free agency.
Vance Joseph is a very good defensive coordinator, period.
5. Signing Zach Allen in free agency
The Denver Broncos essentially swapped Dre'Mont Jones for Zach Allen. Jones was recently cut by the Seattle Seahawks and since signed with the Tennessee Titans, and Allen has since turned into one of the best defensive ends in football, leading the NFL with 40 QB hits in 2024.
Allen is likely signing a huge extension in the coming weeks. He's the anchor along the defensive front.
4. Investing a ton of money into the offensive line
Some of the first moves that Sean Payton made when he arrived in Denver was to sign Ben Powers and Mike McGlinchey. The team has also given huge extensions to Quinn Meinerz and Garett Bolles, further proving that the team wants to keep the OL as a priority.
This is the formula to success in the NFL among other things - fielding a competent offensive line that can push opposing defenses around is a must.
3. Hiring Beau Lowery as Vice President of Player Health & Performance
In the two years since Beau Lowery has taken over the realm of player injuries, the Broncos have been among the healthiest clubs in the entire NFL, and I do not think that is some silly coincidence. Denver has been able to keep their players on the field at an extremely high level, and this has been another massive reason for the recent success.
2. Cutting Russell Wilson
It was a necessary move, and while many of us did not see the vision at first, it's clear that Sean Payton and George Paton had a vision. On paper, Russell Wilson was quite efficient in 2023, but when you watched the Broncos offense, it was clear just from watching that it was not sustainable. Them cutting Russell Wilson was a tough but necessary move.
1. Drafting Bo Nix
This has to be the top one, right? Drafting Bo Nix with the 12th overall pick in the 2024 NFL Draft is the best decision these two have made. Nix was obviously the right choice and had one of the best rookie QB seasons ever, helping lead the Broncos to a 10-win, playoff season.