George Paton isn’t taking an early victory lap on Broncos big offseason
Mar 27, 2022, 7:40 PM
George Paton was the toast of the NFL owners meetings. As the league’s brass gathered in Palm Beach, Fla., to discuss rules changes and conduct other business, the Broncos general manager was the belle of the ball.
And for good reason. So far this offseason, Denver has done the most to transform their roster. With Paton at the helm, the Broncos have made some of the biggest moves in the league.
They’ve traded for Russell Wilson. They’ve signed Randy Gregory, D.J. Jones and Billy Turner. And the contracts they gave to Tim Patrick and Courtland Sutton last season look better and better as less-accomplished wideouts have inked monster contracts in free agency.
In addition, Denver moved on from Vic Fangio and his staff. Paton replaced the head coach with Nathaniel Hackett and built one of the youngest, most-diverse staffs in the NFL around him.
The Broncos have missed the playoffs for six-straight seasons. They haven’t been above .500 for five years. Now, they’re a Super Bowl contender.
But Paton is taking it all in stride. He’s not getting caught up in the praise and hoopla.
In fact, the Broncos general manager is downplaying what the team has done since the end of the 2021 campaign. He knows that it doesn’t mean anything to be the best team in February, March and April.
“The fact is we won seven games; I’m a 7-10 GM,” Paton said about the job he’s done thus far in Denver. “No one cares if you win the offseason. They only care if you win the regular season.”
That means breaking the streak of sub-.500 seasons. That would translate to making the playoffs. And it would equate to becoming competitive in the AFC West again.
On that last front, many around the league believe the Broncos have gained on the Chiefs, Raiders and Chargers. But given the way those teams have gotten the best of Denver the last few seasons, the general manager isn’t busy reading the headlines.
“It’s hard for us to really talk about competing in our division until we do,” Paton explained.
Is all of this a bit of gamesmanship? Sure. It does no good for the Broncos to hype themselves up during the offseason. They’re much better off proving themselves on the field when it matters.
That should be music to the ears of those in Broncos Country. Instead of taking early victory laps after a 3-0 start, an upset win against the Cowboys or any of the other fleeting moments of success since Super Bowl 50, George Paton is playing down his accomplishments. He’s waiting until he has something legitimate to celebrate.
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