George Paton

Latest On Broncos, Russell Wilson

January 9th, 2024 at 9:21pm CST by Sam Robinson

An upset loss to the Patriots on Christmas Eve set forth a chain reaction that led to the Broncos’ behind-the-scenes drama with Russell Wilson becoming public days later. Wilson appears headed toward free agency, but the Broncos are stopping short of confirming that.

Sean Payton and GM George Paton said Tuesday the two-year Denver starting quarterback could return in 2024, with the veteran head coach indicating (via the Denver Gazette’s Chris Tomasson) he spoke at length with Wilson after the season ended. Paton said (via Tomasson) the 12-year QB is open to coming back.

Wilson said as much two weeks ago, confirming the rumors the Broncos approached him about changing the guarantee vesting date in his contract. Paton confirmed the Broncos made a “good faith” effort to address the $49MM-AAV contract during the team’s bye week, contacting Wilson’s agent, Tomasson adds. This brought the NFLPA into the process, though no grievance is expected.

“I spent half an hour with Russ yesterday, and I told him, I said, ‘Look, I don’t think it’s going to be a long, drawn-out process, but it hasn’t been decided relative to what our plans are,’” Payton said, via NFL.com’s James Palmer. “But as soon as we know something, certainly he would be the first to know.”

Paton later said he works collaboratively with Payton, but the three-year GM indicted the late-December benching was independent of the guarantee that would kick in had Wilson suffered an injury that would have prevented him from passing a physical in March. Considering the circumstances, that is rather difficult to believe.

“During the bye week, I did reach out to Russ’ agent in a good-faith and creative attempt to adjust his contract,’’ Paton said. “We couldn’t get a deal done. We moved on with our season. It didn’t come up again.”

The Broncos retaining Wilson past the fifth day of the 2024 league year would lead to his $37MM 2025 base salary becoming guaranteed. Wilson’s 2024 money is already locked in, and a March release would still result in a record-smashing $84.6MM in dead money associated with a single player. The Broncos would assuredly spread that over two offseasons, via a post-June 1 designation. If they kept Wilson for 2024, he would be just as difficult to release in 2025. The 2025 salary guarantee vesting this March would lead to an $86MM dead-money hit in the event of a ’25 release.

Wilson, 35, has expected to be released for weeks. The Broncos, however, do not have access to the top quarterbacks in the draft. Barring a trade, that is. Considering Denver already traded two first-round picks for Wilson and sent the Saints first- and second-rounders for Payton’s rights, a trade-up maneuver for a passer would be particularly costly. The Broncos hold the No. 12 pick in the 2024 draft, complicating their path to land a rookie.

The free agency crop stands to feature Kirk Cousins and Baker Mayfield as the top names, but both arms have expressed interest in staying with their current teams. Ryan Tannehill, Gardner Minshew, Sam Darnold, Jacoby Brissett, Jake Browning and ex-Payton Saints charge Jameis Winston are among the notable QBs on track for free agency. Jarrett Stidham‘s $10MM contract runs through 2024, putting the two-time contract-driven replacement in play to be a Broncos bridge starter in 2024.

Paton being the point man on the Wilson trade and Nathaniel Hackett hire naturally invited rumors about his job status, seeing as Payton inherited the ex-Vikings exec as GM. But Payton again offered support for his coworker Tuesday. This follows a Sunday report that indicated Paton is more likely to stay for a fourth year. When asked (via Tomasson) who has the final say if a Payton-Paton disagreement ensues, the GM said that scenario has not yet come up. While John Elway‘s GM successor has offered hits (the 2021 draft), his misses (a list that also includes Randy Gregory) have outshined those through three years.

After the team gave up a blockbuster trade haul to land Wilson, another offseason looks set to be devoted to identifying a passer. Unless Wilson changes his mind and is suddenly amenable to a pay cut or a reworking that gives the Broncos more flexibility, Payton is likely to have his first chance in Denver to handpick a starting quarterback. It would be unlikely Paton stands in the HC’s way.

Broncos Likely To Retain GM George Paton

January 7th, 2024 at 10:30am CST by Rory Parks

We heard last month that Broncos general manager George Paton could be on the hot seat, but that does not appear to be the case. As Ian Rapoport and Tom Pelissero of NFL.com report, Paton is expected to keep his job through at least the 2024 season.

Paton was one of the most popular names on the GM interview circuit for years before the longtime Vikings exec finally decided to leave Minnesota to head up Denver’s personnel department in January 2021. While detractors will point to his ultimately disastrous decision to hire Nathaniel Hackett as head coach in 2022 and to the ill-fated blockbuster trade for quarterback Russell Wilson, Paton did show off his talent evaluation chops during his first draft with the Broncos, bringing in the likes of Patrick Surtain, Javonte Williams, Quinn Meinerz, Baron Browning, and Jonathon Cooper. The 2022-23 drafts started late due to the Wilson trade, though it was the club’s new ownership that drove the Wilson extension that is expected to create a salary cap nightmare in short order (likewise, although Paton is the one who ultimately approached Wilson about pushing back his 2025 guarantee, ownership and head coach Sean Payton surely had a hand in that controverisal overture).

Payton is widely believed to wield final say over the Broncos’ roster decisions, and even if that is not the case, Paton did lose plenty of power when club CEO Greg Penner announced in December 2022 that both the head coach and general manager would report to ownership. Despite that, and despite Payton’s surprisingly open criticism of Paton over the summer, Rapoport and Pelissero say that the two men enjoy a strong working relationship. That relationship, combined with Paton’s evaluation abilities, may well be enough to keep Paton in Denver.

Adam Schefter of ESPN.com also notes that Payton and Paton have worked well together this year, and that Payton respects Paton’s talents. Schefter does not indicate one way or another whether Paton will be retained, though he does confirm that Payton “has significant authority and influence” over Denver’s football operation and that a decision will need to be made on Paton.

Assuming that the Payton-Paton partnership survives for another season, Paton will have at least some role in navigating the Broncos’ complex quarterback situation. The expected Wilson release and the dead money hit that it will generate will make it difficult for Denver to acquire a high-end veteran passer, and the team may not be picking high enough to land a surefire prospect in the 2024 draft. As such, Jarrett Stidham may find himself as the Broncos’ starting QB to begin the 2024 season, a season that could go a long way towards determining Paton’s long-term future in the Mile High City.

Latest On Broncos, Russell Wilson

December 28th, 2023 at 9:55pm CST by Sam Robinson

Unsurprisingly, the Broncos’ decision to bench Russell Wilson has generated some fallout. The process that led to this call transpired during much of the team’s five-game win streak earlier this season

Wilson has been expecting to be released since shortly after the team’s win over the Chiefs on Oct. 29, according to The Athletic’s Dianna Russini (subscription required). Despite Wilson playing much better in 2023 than he did during a shockingly mediocre 2022, his contract has hovered as a big-picture issue for the Broncos.

Sean Payton acknowledged the economic component involved with this benching — one that comes exactly a year after the Raiders shelved Derek Carr to play Jarrett Stidham for contract reasons — but said the team wants to gather some intel on its backup before season’s end. With the Broncos’ last-second loss to the Patriots all but slamming the door shut on their playoff hopes, the initiation of Wilson divorce proceedings makes sense. The inevitable release will bring a seismic dead-money hit, one that will more than double the record the Falcons set last year ($40.5MM) when they traded Matt Ryan to the Colts.

It will cost the Broncos $84.6MM in dead money to cut Wilson in 2024. They will assuredly spread that number over two offseasons with a post-June 1 designation, but this will still represent a significant chapter in NFL transaction history — one that will hamstring the Broncos for two more years. It is unclear where Wilson will end up and how the Broncos — thanks to the Payton-Wilson experiment producing a midseason surge that revived the team’s playoff hopes — will go about replacing him. At 7-8, Denver’s draft slot sits 14th presently. But this drama has played out behind the scenes for weeks.

Shortly after the Broncos’ 24-9 win over the Chiefs, GM George Paton initiated the conversation to Wilson’s agent centered around the QB delaying his 2025 guarantee. The third-year Broncos GM said Wilson would be benched for the season’s final nine games if he did not delay the $37MM guarantee for 2025, Russini reports. That number, which shifts from an injury guarantee to a full guarantee on Day 5 of the 2024 league year, is behind the Broncos’ decision to bench Wilson now. This did not amount to a full-on ultimatum, according to Pro Football Talk’s Mike Florio, who notes team brass went through Wilson’s agent rather than bringing the QB into a meeting and demanding he adjust his deal or lose his starting job.

The Broncos’ ultimatum, reiterated days after Paton’s initial request, prompted Wilson’s agent to contact the NFLPA, CBS Sports’ Josina Anderson reports. Paton is said to have noted Wilson’s benching would be financially motivated, rather than for skill or performance. Reviewing the matter, the NFLPA wrote a letter to the Broncos and indicated it had consulted with the NFL management council, per Anderson, who offers that the team then sent Wilson’s camp a letter conveying the QB’s refusal to change his contract’s guarantee structure would be respected. The letter, however, also indicated Payton would now dictate if Wilson would be benched. The Broncos never previously informed the 35-year-old passer when he would be shelved, however, according to Russini.

Ultimately, the Broncos’ talks with Wilson’s camp about delaying the 2025 guarantee were not amicable and were not in accordance with the CBA, per Anderson. Though, the team does not share the viewpoint the talks were not CBA-compliant. But this relationship — one that veered from disastrous to adequate on the field from 2022-23 — looks to have been deteriorating over the past two months. Wilson has likely thrown his last pass as a Bronco, with Stidham — given a two-year, $10MM deal in March — in place to start the final two games.

The contract component will lead to this trade being viewed as one of the worst in NFL history. Wilson’s 26-TD, eight-INT bounce-back effort notwithstanding, NFL.com’s James Palmer notes people in Denver’s building viewed this benching as a football-related call — with the obvious financial undercurrent — for the 2023 season’s remainder.

Payton has said the offense needs to improve, and Palmer adds the new Broncos HC believes too many elements are present in the team’s current attack. Prior to the Wilson-guided rally against the Patriots, the Broncos’ offense struggled during an ugly effort. Payton has since said he does not view the up-tempo attack Wilson thrived in as sustainable over the course of a game. Pro Football Focus rates the Broncos’ offensive line as seventh overall, but Palmer adds only Justin Fields has been pressured more than Wilson. Broncos staffers also believe the pocket has been cleaner than the sack-prone QB’s pattern would depict. Wilson ranks seventh in passer rating but 21st in QBR.

While this adds up to Payton believing the fit between his concepts and Wilson’s strengths — a long-rumored issue after the Broncos acquired the ex-Saints HC — is too clunky, the team (and potentially its GM) will pay the price in the form of the historic dead-money sum.

Paton said upon firing Nathaniel Hackett he believed Wilson was salvageable, and Payton said just before this season the potential Hall of Famer’s skills had not eroded despite his 2022 regression. Wilson partially proved both right, but the Broncos’ offensive performance was not justifying the trade cost or the $49MM-per-year extension. Following the report Wilson wanted Payton to replace Pete Carroll in Seattle, Payton being the one to bench the accomplished QB is rather ironic.

Stidham’s contract contains just $1MM guaranteed for 2024, but after his Raiders run brought one stunningly productive start (a 365-yard, three-TD outing against the 49ers) and one shaky showing (against the Chiefs), the Broncos will see what their backup can bring. Wilson has since tweeted, “Looking forward to what’s next.”

“As a head coach, you’ve got to make some tough decisions and they won’t always be right,” Payton said. “They just won’t. You go with your gut and your instincts. We need a spark. We need something right now. We’ll handle the long term when we get there.”

Broncos GM George Paton On Hot Seat?

December 7th, 2023 at 4:15pm CST by Sam Robinson

Some of George Paton‘s draft choices as Broncos GM have become core pieces now at Sean Payton‘s disposal, and Denver’s new HC said upon taking the job the staffer with an identical-sounding surname reminded him of Saints GM Mickey Loomis. But rumors of Payton wanting to bring in one of his ex-New Orleans coworkers emerged this offseason.

Although the Broncos have turned their season around after a 1-5 start, Paton having predated Payton in Denver does make for a situation to monitor. Many look to be doing so, with the Washington Post’s Jason La Canfora indicating steady rumblings about Paton not being back in Denver next year have surfaced.

Paton played a central role in negotiating Payton’s trade compensation with Loomis in January, doing so as it was widely expected his own role would diminish as a result of the Broncos acquiring a high-profile HC. CEO Greg Penner, who was not in place when Paton was hired, changed the Broncos’ power structure last December by indicating the next HC would report to ownership.

Upon being hired, Payton pushed back on a desire to have full-on control. But he has also been connected to wanting to bring in Jeff Ireland, with whom he worked for six years in New Orleans. Ireland, the former Jets GM, remains in place as the Saints’ assistant GM. Payton also mentioned Paton, among others, as being responsible for the franchise’s 2022 troubles.

The third-year Broncos GM’s performance can be looked at through multiple lenses. The longtime Vikings exec was in place to help bring Payton to town, doing so after showing his acumen in the draft. In Paton’s first draft, the Broncos selected Patrick Surtain, Javonte Williams and ascending guard Quinn Meinerz in the first three rounds. Outside linebacker regulars Baron Browning and Jonathon Cooper also came to Denver from Ohio State in the 2021 draft. Denver’s next two drafts started late due to the trades for Payton and Russell Wilson, the latter introducing a complication for Paton.

While Wilson has steadied his career after a woeful first season in Denver, the former Seahawks star has not proven worth the trade compensation (headlined by two first-round picks and two seconds) or $49MM-per-year extension — one that complicates the Broncos’ cap sheet in 2024. Denver’s new ownership arriving drove the Wilson extension past the finish line, despite two years remaining on his previous contract, but Paton also hired the coach who proved the catalyst for the quarterback’s 2022 freefall. The Broncos became the third team since the 1970 merger to fire a first-year head coach (Nathaniel Hackett) before the season ended. The team has also already bailed on Randy Gregory, a Paton free agency addition in 2022.

Paton, 53, was a sought-after GM candidate for years. The former Rick Spielman right-hand man was a regular on the GM interview circuit, eventually agreeing to succeed John Elway in Denver in January 2021. Elway took a different position in the Broncos organization before eventually stepping away earlier this year. The Broncos’ next five games may have an impact on Paton’s 2024 standing, but this storyline will be worth watching regardless of how the 6-6 team closes out the season.

AFC West Notes: Raiders, Staley, Broncos

November 10th, 2023 at 1:09pm CST by Sam Robinson

Josh McDaniels‘ leadership style became a lightning rod in Denver, helping lead to the successful New England OC’s second-season firing. Although ESPN.com’s Dan Graziano notes McDaniels’ Raiders situation did not feature a personality conflict on that level, a number of issues arose near the end of his 25-game Las Vegas tenure. While McDaniels’ style this time around was viewed as a bit more empathetic, Graziano colleague Jeremy Fowler notes the same traits that keyed the early wrap in Denver — people skills and a flawed culture — resurfaced in Nevada. This Patriot Way model led to quickly eroded trust, with the quarterback situation being the main part of McDaniels’ plan not resonating with players.

The team’s move from Derek Carr to Jimmy Garoppolo produced warning signs, but the McDaniels- and Dave Ziegler-handpicked veteran’s immobility and erratic play (NFL-high nine interceptions, despite two missed starts) led to some in the Raiders’ building believing Aidan O’Connell should have replaced the veteran starter earlier than he did, Fowler adds. Had the Raiders turned one of their several visits with early-round draft prospects into a selection, perhaps McDaniels would have been given more time to groom that player. With the team waiting until the final pick of the fourth round to take its quarterback, it is quite possible the team’s passer of the future is not on the roster. This being the case certainly interfered with McDaniels displaying his vision to the team.

Here is the latest from the AFC West:

In what should not be especially surprising, Fowler adds some around the league believe Brandon Staley will need a winning effort to stave off a post-season three firing. Some viewed Staley as a candidate to be dropped after the Chargers‘ 27-point collapse in last year’s wild-card round, which came after Mike Williams suffered an injury in a meaningless Week 18 game. But GM Tom Telesco backed his HC for a third season. Again without Williams, the Bolts are 4-4. After Sean Payton was repeatedly connected to this job in 2022, the Bolts would obviously need to look elsewhere to replace Staley — if they choose to take that route — next year.
Last week’s USC-Washington game naturally attracted NFL personnel, but ESPN.com’s Pete Thamel notes both Broncos GM George Paton and Giants GM Joe Schoen were on-hand in a game that featured likely 2024 quarterback draftees Caleb Williams and Michael Penix. Both the Broncos and Giants would have complex paths to adding another QB. Denver could draft one with or without Russell Wilson on the roster, with a rookie salary perhaps complementing the starter’s hefty contract or hitting the Broncos’ cap sheet after they absorb a record-shattering $85MM in dead money (over two years, in the event of a post-June 1 cut). Regardless of how the Broncos fare in the season’s second half, Wilson’s status will be their top storyline.
The Broncos recently promoted Ben Niemann to their 53-man roster, and 9News’ Mike Klis notes the team did so to prevent another club from poaching him off the practice squad. Niemann, who could have conceivably loomed as a Chiefs roster replacement for the injured Nick Bolton, has 80 games under his belt. He added to that total earlier this year, against the Bears. The former Chiefs and Cardinals starter caught on with the Broncos after the Titans cut him in August.
Raiders free agency addition Robert Spillane recently underwent hand surgery, per interim HC Antonio Pierce (via The Athletic’s Vic Tafur), but it did not keep him off the field. After breaking his hand against the Lions in Week 8, the fifth-year linebacker underwent a procedure a day later but played every snap against the Giants. Largely a part-timer in Pittsburgh, Spillane — attached to a two-year, $7MM deal — has logged 98% of Las Vegas’ defensive snaps this season.

Sean Payton: Russell Wilson Still Has It

July 27th, 2023 at 5:02pm CST by Sam Robinson

Being one of last season’s most disappointing teams, the Broncos launched another reboot by obtaining Sean Payton’s rights from the Saints. Payton, however, will be tasked with coaching Russell Wilson and working with holdover GM George Paton. But the longtime Saints coach can certainly be viewed as the centerpiece presence in Denver.

As such, Payton fired off some strong stances in an interview with USA Today’s Jarrett Bell. Among the people taken to task by the Super Bowl-winning HC: predecessor Nathaniel Hackett. This Broncos season will do plenty to determine which 2022 pillar was more at fault for the Broncos’ woes last season; Payton is placing considerably more blame on Hackett than Wilson.

“Everybody’s got a little stink on their hands; it’s not just Russell. It was a (poor) offensive line. It might have been one of the worst coaching jobs in the history of the NFL. That’s how bad it was,” Payton said, via Bell.

“… I don’t know Hackett. A lot of people had dirt on their hands. It wasn’t just Russell. He didn’t just flip. He still has it. This B.S. that he hit a wall? Shoot, they couldn’t get a play in. They were 29th in the league in pre-snap penalties on both sides of the ball.”

This is not the first time Payton has said the team’s 2022 mess was not entirely on Wilson. The Broncos’ Pat Shurmur–Teddy Bridgewater offensive setup finished 23rd in scoring offense; the Hackett-Wilson pairing sunk it to last. The team gave Wilson a private office and allowed his personal team facility access. While noting QB offices are not out of the ordinary, Payton reiterated he shut down Team Wilson staffers’ facility access.

Perhaps most importantly, the Broncos gave Wilson autonomy in designing the offense last year. Although injuries to the likes of Garett Bolles, Javonte Williams, Tim Patrick and others led to the quarterback’s stunning nosedive, Wilson’s effort to play more from the pocket produced prolonged periods of stagnancy as the Broncos stumbled to a 3-10 start. Paton forced Hackett to bring Jerry Rosburg out of retirement to manage games after glaring managerial snafus transpired during the Broncos’ first two contests, and the GM ended up firing the first-time HC after a blowout Christmas Day loss to the Rams. Hackett, who gave up play-calling duties midway through his short tenure, is one of just three coaches since the 1970 merger to be fired before their first season concluded.

Wilson, 34, still took the brunt of the criticism, having been traded for a picks package headlined by two first-rounders and two seconds. He finished with a career-low 16 touchdown passes, and after closing his Seahawks tenure with QBR rankings of 10th, 11th, fifth, eighth and 10th from 2017-21, the perennial Pro Bowler dropped to 27th in his first Broncos campaign.

“That wasn’t his fault,” Payton said of Wilson’s facility setup. “That was the parents who allowed it. That’s not an incrimination on him, but an incrimination on the head coach, the GM, the president (Damani Leech) and everybody else who watched it all happen. Now, a quarterback having an office and a place to watch film is normal. But all those things get magnified when you’re losing. And that other stuff, I’ve never heard of it. We’re not doing that.

“It doesn’t happen often where an NFL team or organization gets embarrassed. And that happened here.”

It is certainly interesting Payton mentioned Paton, whose job security took a hit after the Hackett-Wilson pairing produced a spectacular letdown. Payton has been connected to potentially bringing in more familiar front office personnel. This could loom as an important season for the Broncos’ GM, given the events of the past year.

Wilson’s five-year, $245MM extension runs through 2028. His cap number jumps from $22MM to $35.4MM between 2023 and ’24. The Broncos can escape this contract with a $35.4MM dead-money charge in 2024 with a post-June 1 cut designation — though, that would be an extreme move, considering dead money would come in 2025 as well — should the form Wilson showed in 2022 represent a true decline rather than a coaching-induced blip.

Payton has praised offseason pickup Jarrett Stidham, who signed a two-year, $10MM deal. But the team remains committed to Wilson, who will have Williams, Patrick and Bolles back, along with big-ticket O-line pickups Mike McGlinchey and Ben Powers in the mix. After eyeing a partnership with Payton in the past, Wilson has a clear bounce-back opportunity.

The NFL’s Longest-Tenured GMs

July 6th, 2023 at 9:25am CST by Sam Robinson

The latest NFL general manager hiring cycle only produced two changes, but each took over for an executive who appeared in good standing at this point last year.

Steve Keim had held his Cardinals GM post since January 2013, and the Cardinals gave both he and Kliff Kingsbury extensions — deals that ran through 2027 — in March of last year. Arizona has since rebooted, moving on from both Keim and Kingsbury. Keim took a leave of absence late last season, and the Cardinals replaced him with ex-Titans exec Monti Ossenfort.

As the Cardinals poached one of the Titans’ top front office lieutenants, Tennessee went with an NFC West staffer to replace Jon Robinson. The move to add 49ers FO bastion Ran Carthon also came less than a year after the Titans reached extension agreements with both Robinson and HC Mike Vrabel. But controlling owner Amy Adams Strunk canned Robinson — in place as GM since January 2016 — before last season ended. Adams Strunk cited player unavailability and roster quality among the reasons she chose to move on despite having extended Robinson through the 2027 draft months earlier. The Titans are now pairing Vrabel and Carthon.

The Bills reached an extension agreement with GM Brandon Beane two weeks ago. Hired shortly after the team gave Sean McDermott the HC keys, Beane has helped the Bills to five playoff berths in six seasons. Beane’s deal keeps him signed through 2027. Chargers GM Tom Telesco has hit the 10-year mark leading that front office, while this year also marks the 10th offseason of Buccaneers honcho Jason Licht‘s tenure running the NFC South team. Although Jim Irsay fired Frank Reich and later admitted he reluctantly extended his former HC in 2021, the increasingly active Colts owner has expressed confidence in Chris Ballard.

Here is how the NFL’s GM landscape looks going into the 2023 season:

Jerry Jones (Dallas Cowboys): April 18, 1989^[1]
Mike Brown (Cincinnati Bengals): August 5, 1991^[2]
Bill Belichick (New England Patriots): January 27, 2000^[3]
Mickey Loomis (New Orleans Saints): May 14, 2002
John Schneider (Seattle Seahawks): January 19, 2010; signed extension in 2021
Howie Roseman (Philadelphia Eagles): January 29, 2010; signed extension in 2022
Les Snead (Los Angeles Rams): February 10, 2012; signed extension in 2022
Tom Telesco (Los Angeles Chargers): January 9, 2013; signed extension in 2018
Jason Licht (Tampa Bay Buccaneers): January 21, 2014; signed extension in 2021
Chris Grier (Miami Dolphins): January 4, 2016^[4]
John Lynch (San Francisco 49ers): January 29, 2017; signed extension in 2020
Chris Ballard (Indianapolis Colts): January 30, 2017; signed extension in 2021
Brandon Beane (Buffalo Bills): May 9, 2017; signed extension in 2023
Brett Veach (Kansas City Chiefs): July 11, 2017; signed extension in 2020
Brian Gutekunst (Green Bay Packers): January 7, 2018; agreed to extension in 2022
Eric DeCosta (Baltimore Ravens): January 7, 2019
Joe Douglas (New York Jets): June 7, 2019
Andrew Berry (Cleveland Browns): January 27, 2020
Nick Caserio (Houston Texans): January 5, 2021
George Paton (Denver Broncos): January 13, 2021
Scott Fitterer (Carolina Panthers): January 14, 2021
Brad Holmes (Detroit Lions): January 14, 2021
Terry Fontenot (Atlanta Falcons): January 19, 2021
Trent Baalke (Jacksonville Jaguars): January 21, 2021
Martin Mayhew (Washington Commanders): January 22, 2021
Joe Schoen (New York Giants): January 21, 2022
Ryan Poles (Chicago Bears): January 25, 2022
Kwesi Adofo-Mensah (Minnesota Vikings): January 26, 2022
Dave Ziegler (Las Vegas Raiders): January 30, 2022
Omar Khan (Pittsburgh Steelers): May 24, 2022
Monti Ossenfort (Arizona Cardinals): January 16, 2023
Ran Carthon (Tennessee Titans): January 17, 2023

Footnotes:

Jones has been the Cowboys’ de facto general manager since former GM Tex Schramm resigned in April 1989.
Brown has been the Bengals’ de facto GM since taking over as the team’s owner in August 1991.
Belichick has been the Patriots’ de facto GM since shortly after being hired as the team’s head coach in January 2000.
Although Grier was hired in 2016, he became the Dolphins’ top football exec on Dec. 31, 2018

Broncos Release K Brandon McManus

May 23rd, 2023 at 11:44am CST by Adam La Rose

The Broncos have parted ways with the last remaining member of their Super Bowl 50-winning team. Kicker Brandon McManus revealed (on Twitter) that he has been released. He will be designated a post-June 1 cut, per a team announcement.

The 31-year-old added “more to come in the following days” to his announcement, which could point to a new contract coming together in the near future. That would come as no surprise, since he represents arguably the top available option at the position at this point in the offseason. As a result, a number of teams should be expected to show considerable interest in him.

By releasing McManus with the post-June 1 designation, the Broncos will save $3.75MM this season and $3.95MM in 2024. No guranteed money remained on his contract, but this move still constitutes a surprise considering the former UDFA’s status as one of the league’s more productive kickers. After four consecutive seasons with a field goal percentage rate of at least 80%, McManus’ accuracy did drop to 77.8% in 2022, however.

The Temple alum ranks second in franchise history in terms of both total points and career field goal percentage. His nine-year stint in the Mile High City also ranks second, behind only Jason Elam. McManus will likely be best remembered for his play during Denver’s Super Bowl run in 2015. He went 10-for-10 on field goals during that postseason, converting all three extra point tries as well.

Given his track record, he should have multiple offers within a quick span. The Cowboys have been public about their desire to add a veteran at the kicker position, which should make them a team to watch in McManus’ free agent period. He will be joined on the open market by the likes of Robbie Gould, Mason Crosby and Ryan Succop. The Broncos, meanwhile, now no longer have a kicker on their 90-man roster.

“Developing into one of the NFL’s most productive kickers, Brandon made so many clutch kicks for this franchise over the years as a Super Bowl champion and team captain,” a statement from Broncos GM George Paton reads in part. “He will always hold a special place in Denver Broncos history. We thank Brandon for all he did for the Broncos, and we wish him and his family the very best in the future.”

Russell Wilson Wanted Sean Payton To Replace Pete Carroll With Seahawks?

February 24th, 2023 at 11:02am CST by Sam Robinson

More information emerged regarding Russell Wilson‘s odd 2022 Friday morning. A report from Kalyn Kahler, Mike Sando and Jayson Jenks of The Athletic indicates the veteran quarterback made a request that Seahawks ownership fire both Pete Carroll and John Schneider, citing the duo had inhibited his pursuit of Super Bowls and awards.

This alleged request came weeks before the Seahawks decided to trade Wilson to the Broncos. Wilson denied (via Twitter) he asked for the Seattle HC and GM’s firings, and a lawyer for the QB described that assertion as “entirely fabricated.”

Wilson-Carroll disagreements about the direction of the Seahawks took place ahead of the QB’s 2021 trade destination list surfacing, and after the 2022 trade, reports indicating the NFC West team viewed its former franchise passer as declining came out. A shockingly mediocre Wilson season commenced in Denver. His partnership with Nathaniel Hackett proved a poor fit, and Hackett became the third first-year HC since the 1970 merger to be fired before season’s end.

The Broncos have since traded for Sean Payton, nearly two years after Wilson’s trade list included the Saints. Wilson wanted the Seahawks to trade for Payton’s rights after his Saints exit last year, according to The Athletic. Payton announced he was leaving the Saints on Jan. 25, 2022; Schneider and Broncos GM George Paton began discussing a trade ahead of the Feb. 5 Senior Bowl. The trade took place March 8.

The previously referenced Latavius Murray text message to his former coach occurred just before the Broncos’ Christmas blowout loss to the Rams. Payton had said Murray texted him about he and a backfield teammate wanting him in Denver, with the veteran running back confirming Wilson was the teammate. Murray sent the text Dec. 23, per The Athletic. The Broncos fired Hackett on Dec. 26, following a 51-14 loss to the Rams. No accusation is made of Wilson wanting Hackett to go, but that relationship had long trended in that direction. During the Broncos’ coaching search, Wilson reached out to Payton.

Payton soon put the kibosh on Wilson’s team having full access to Denver’s facility, but Paton allowed Wilson’s personal coach (Jake Heaps), a physical therapist and a nutritionist such privileges last year. Heaps had partial access to the Seahawks’ facility, per The Athletic, and Wilson did not have an office there. Wilson agreed to stop using the office and to keep his support staff out of the building over the season’s final two weeks.

Wilson organized weekly meetings for Denver’s offense during the players’ Tuesday off day, and The Athletic notes Heaps was part of those summits, which were aimed around preparing for the next opponent. An anonymous coach also said he did not agree with the evaluations Wilson and Heaps made on scouting reports distributed on Tuesdays. With Hackett also being accused of being too deferential to players, the potentially incongruent scouting reports would provide a partial explanation for the Broncos’ myriad offensive issues. Those came to a head during an ugly Thursday loss to the Colts in October and persisted for much of the season.

The team ended the year with three play-callers. All three (Hackett, QBs coach Klint Kubiak, OC Justin Outten) are elsewhere now. Melvin Gordon, whom the Broncos waived in November after extensive fumbling problems, said Hackett attempting to blend Wilson’s Seattle offense and Hackett’s preferred Green Bay-style blueprint was “a bit much.” The organization fired Vic Fangio in large part due to his team’s struggles offensively, but the Broncos’ Pat Shurmur–Teddy Bridgewater setup ranked 23rd in scoring. The Hackett-Wilson season produced a last-place ranking, and while numerous injuries contributed to this decline, the Broncos’ QB-HC partnership generated most of the attention. Payton, who signed a five-year contract, will be tasked with cleaning up this mess.

Payton will call the Broncos’ plays next season, accepting the team’s offer after DeMeco Ryans had generated some buzz. Ryans may not have been a serious candidate. While he preferred the Texans, The Athletic describes the former 49ers DC’s Broncos interview as “awkward.”

The Seahawks have begun negotiations with Geno Smith, whose surprising season earned him Comeback Player of the Year honors. It remains to be seen if the organization will make a true long-term commitment to Wilson’s former backup, but the team that had made some draft missteps late in Wilson’s tenure will be in position to land more starters via the 2023 first- and second-round picks obtained in the Wilson swap. Carroll is signed through the 2025 season; Schneider’s latest extension runs through 2027. Both decision-makers are going into their 14th seasons in Seattle.

Sean Payton Addresses Russell Wilson, Decision To Pass On Cardinals

February 9th, 2023 at 2:35pm CST by Sam Robinson

Terry Bradshaw made a bit of noise during Super Bowl week, saying ex-FOX coworker Sean Payton was leery of working with either Russell Wilson or Kyler Murray.

Payton interviewed with two teams that roster returning quarterbacks — the Broncos and Cardinals — and two teams without settled starters (Panthers, Texans). He ended up choosing Denver, but Bradshaw said (via Newsday’s Tom Rock, on Twitter) he accepted the Broncos’ offer in spite of Wilson and did not want to work with Murray. Noting when Bradshaw is interviewed, “you hold your breath, because you don’t know what’s going to come out,” Payton addressed why he chose the Broncos — a job that will feature a Wilson cleanup task in 2023.

“For me, the first thing was ownership and general manager. That triangle needed to be strong,” Payton told Kay Adams on her Up & Adams show Thursday. “… With Russell, we’ve got someone who’s won a lot of games, who’s been successful. And then it’s really looking at, ‘Hey, what are the things he does well?’ I think anytime you have a season where it’s 5-12 or whatever their record was, my experience from afar is, generally speaking, there are a lot of people with dirt on their hands — not just Russ. That falls on other players; that falls on the coaching staff. I think those things we can clean up and correct.

“More importantly, [the decision centered on] going to the place where ownership is in place and supportive and has a clear vision and the general manager’s in place, those are the key, critical factors.”

Payton has spoken highly of both new Broncos CEO Greg Penner and third-year GM George Paton. Although Payton has been connected to bringing in former GM and longtime Saints staffer Jeff Ireland, Payton compared Denver’s GM to Mickey Loomis. For the time being, it looks like the Payton-Paton setup is not in jeopardy of splintering.

Paton’s headline 2022 acquisition encountered quick turbulence. Wilson struggled for most of the season acclimating to Nathaniel Hackett‘s offense and flashed concerning form in his age-34 campaign. But he angled for Payton, reaching out to the longtime Saints HC and Drew Brees about the fit. Payton will now be in charge of salvaging the Broncos’ big-ticket quarterback get.

“We spoke briefly,” Payton said of a pre-hire conversation with Wilson. “Latavius Murray is one of my former players, and he’s played with a number of teams. He’s one of those guys you like being around. We had a great experience with him in New Orleans. I got a text right at the end of the season. He said, ‘Man, we have to find a way to get you here — me and backfield teammate.’ When I heard that, I thought of running back. Then I thought of who else is in his backfield? I texted and said, ‘Who is your backfield teammate?’ He sent the number three. It was Christmas time and I said, ‘Be careful what you’re asking Santa for.’ That was my response. We kind of went from there.”

The Broncos fired Hackett on Dec. 26, and Payton became the team’s top target soon after. He made the Broncos his first meeting and said that was not due simply to logistics. While Payton offered praise for Kyler Murray, he said his “instincts were pushing me in a direction with Denver.”

This promises to be an eventful period for a Broncos team that has followed up its Super Bowl 50 win with seven straight playoff absences. The team gave Wilson and his team considerable privileges upon acquiring the longtime Seahawk, allowing him input into the offense and permitting his camp access to the facility. This involved a private office for the quarterback and access for his personal coach, Jake Heaps. Payton will be making some changes on that front. While Payton said he was unfamiliar with the previous arrangement, he confirmed (video link via SI.com’s Albert Breer) Wilson would not be working with his personal coach while at the facility.

The Cardinals have yet to hire a head coach; it appears likely no decision is coming until after Super Bowl LVII. Shortly after the team’s Payton meeting, new candidates Lou Anarumo and Mike Kafka entered the mix. Those two may well be the Arizona finalists. Anarumo’s second interview is set for Friday.

“I think [Murray] is extremely talented, and I think they have the same challenges there that we have in Denver,” Payton said, via Adams (Twitter link). “They are very similar challenges. Culture in the building has to be better. It just does.”

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