Schefter: George Paton and Russell Wilson will be back in 2023
Dec 8, 2022, 9:46 AM | Updated: 10:01 am
Just when the heat is cranking up in Broncos Country, the top NFL insider says slow down.
ESPN’s Adam Schefter joined Mark Schlereth and Mike Evans on 104.3 The Fan on Thursday morning, and dropped a couple of bombs. As the chatter increases that general manager George Paton could be on the way out in Denver, Schefter told the guys that isn’t going to happen.
“I expect that George Paton is going to be safe. You can write that down from me. I don’t think he’s going anywhere,” Schefter said.
It’s an interesting comment, but one you have to take as fact considering the source. Schefter is more connected than anyone in the league, so clearly he’s hearing Paton will be back. That is despite making three highly questionable decisions last offseason, including hiring Nathaniel Hackett as head coach.
The Broncos are just 3-9 on the season and Hackett’s been the laughingstock of the NFL on multiple occasions. He’s made several questionable game-management decisions and Denver’s offense is ranked last in all of football, scoring just 13.8 points per game.
Paton’s two other decisions that have fans upset both pertain to QB Russell Wilson. Not only did he trade a monster package that included two first-round picks to acquire the former Seattle signal caller, he gave him a $245 million extension before he played a snap in orange and blue. Wilson’s thrown for just eight touchdowns this year, which is 29th in the NFL.
But considering the Broncos would have $107 million in dead cap if they moved on from Wilson before next year, he’s likely not going anywhere. Mike asked Schefter about that on Thursday morning, and he confirmed as much.
“Yeah, of course Russell’s going to be back. You have no choice there, you’re locked in with the contract. That’s a no-brainer. You have to bring him back and you have to try everything possible to figure out a way to make it work with him,” Schefter said.
So, there you have it. Broncos Country might want Hackett, Paton and Wilson to all get out of town, but Schefter says that’s not happening. At least for two of the three them; Hackett would need a miracle to be retained for a second season.
To listen to the full interview on “Schlereth and Evans,” click here.
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