After the Denver Broncos benched quarterback Russell Wilson in December, some fans and pundits (including Broncos Wire) wondered if general manager George Paton might be on the hot seat.
Paton traded picks and players to acquire Wilson in 2022 and then gave the quarterback a massive contract. He also (allegedly) threatened to bench Wilson during the 2023 season if the QB did not revise his contract.
Despite Paton’s mishandling of the Wilson situation, the GM is set to return for the 2024 season, entering Year 2 with coach Sean Payton. During his end-of-season press conference last week, Paton said he and Payton worked well together during the 2023 season.
“Sean and I have a great relationship and a really good working relationship,” Paton said. “We’re aligned on how we want to continue to build this. We’ve been through just about a full calendar year with each other, and I think we’re ahead of the game. Last year at this time, we were interviewing coaches. Sean and I have been through postseason [evaluations].
“We’ve been through free agency, the draft, training camp, and now, the season. We’ll be able to evolve. We thought the process was really good. We worked really well together [and had] great collaboration between coaches, scouts and the rest of the building. We’ll make some tweaks, and I think we’re going to have a really good offseason.”
Paton will continue to lead the team’s scouting department and roster management while Payton works alongside the GM to bring in the kind of players the coach is seeking. For as long as Payton continues to “work well” with Paton, the GM’s job will likely be safe.
Follow the Broncos Wire Podcast:
Apple Podcasts | Spotify | Google Podcasts
