After the Denver Broncos benched Russell Wilson, some outlets (including Broncos Wire) speculated that general manager George Paton could be on the hot seat. That was not the case.
Paton worked well with coach Sean Payton in 2023, according to accounts from both Paton and Payton.
“We’ve had a really good working relationship from the beginning,” Payton said last week. “All that has gone well. We communicate two, three, four times per day. That’s worked out really well.”
Broncos owner/CEO Greg Penner, who has the final say, was pleased with the team’s coach/GM duo in Year 1.
“It’s been a year now, and I thought it worked really well, especially the partnership between Sean and George,” Penner said. “That relationship between head coach and GM is critical. I was impressed with the way that they handled going from free agency to the draft.
“It was great to see a number of young players that George and his staff had drafted previously step up and play key roles. I thought there was improvement this year, and I think George can help us build a winning roster here.”
Clearly, Paton isn’t going anywhere, at least not anytime soon. Payton undoubtedly has a big say in the team’s roster moves, particularly in free agency, but Paton is a former scout with several notable draft hits on his resume. By all accounts, he works well with Payton, and that’s key. Paton is now set to enter Year 4 as Denver’s GM.
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