Broncos owner Greg Penner wants team to be ‘opportunistically aggressive’

For the Broncos, the watchword as they head into the offseason is “aggressive,” starting from the top with Greg Penner.

General manager George Paton said it on Tuesday. And head coach Sean Payton historically tilts toward the “aggressive” end of things when it comes to his roster-building approach, from his penchant for trading up in the first round with New Orleans to the Saints’ enduring willingness to stretch the salary cap to its breaking point, a trait that began on Payton’s watch.

But the controlling owner and CEO Greg Penner put a qualifier on it when wrapping up the season Wednesday.

He wants the Broncos to be “opportunistically aggressive.”

“In terms of free agency, I get a little worried about just the pure phrase of ‘aggressive,’ because you can be aggressive, but you want to do it in a smart way,” Greg Penner said.

“So, again, we’ll be willing to spend if we something, if we see a player that is going to add a lot of value here, we’ll definitely take an aggressive approach, but we’re not going to bring in somebody that’s not right for this locker room. So there’ll be a lot of factors that we consider.

“I’d say we’ll be opportunistically aggressive.”

It’s a reminder of how firmly Greg Penner has his hands on the wheel of the Broncos — even when it comes to the football operations. He gives those in charge plenty of latitude, but in the word “opportunistically” and the elaboration behind it, he offers a hint that Payton Era 2.0 isn’t going to be an updated Front Range replica of the coach’s Gulf Coast operation.

ANOTHER KEY WORD FOR BRONCOS: “FLEXIBILITY”

In the course of his remarks Tuesday, Paton not only pointed to the Broncos’ cap space — which is free from the constraints of Russell Wilson’s dead money: $53 million in 2024 and $32 million in 2025.

Per Spotrac.com, the Broncos currently have just $1,218,922 in dead money on their 2026 cap. That will likely rise in the coming weeks as the Broncos prepare for the new league year, but with a roster mostly set and a projected $15,451,310 of salary-cap space (per OvertheCap), not much will be required to make a move or two to enhance the roster.

“We have to make really good decisions. We’re going to be aggressive. Regardless of whose contract is what, I think it’s really important,” Paton said Tuesday. “Now we’re going to be sound and prudent with our decisions.”

But it’s not just about free agency or a trade or two for a veteran, as Paton noted.

“The good news is we have some cap room, we have five picks in the first four rounds, and we could get two compensatory which would give us nine [total draft picks],” Paton said.

“I always talk about flexibility. We’re going to have all sorts of flexibility.”

That flexibility gives the Broncos latitude to use picks move up the board from their No. 30 first-round spot, knowing they could still walk out of the two draft days with enough players to restock for the long term — while being able to target a specific player who could make an immediate impact.

And with Greg Penner favoring caution when it comes to free-agency aggression and preferring a sustainable approach to team-building, it’s a reminder that the Broncos are still likely to ponder and pause before making that big swing.

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