Due to cap restraints, the Denver Broncos were forced to be relatively quiet this offseason. That means no splash signings of superstar players. To get in more comfortable cap standing, the Broncos did a bit of “spring cleaning” with their roster and released players with heavy cap hits. This included Denver parting ways with Russell Wilson and Justin Simmons. If you were to take a look at the Broncos' current roster, you can't help but cringe a bit. Because of it, it's hard to see Denver as serious competitors in the AFC for the 2024 season.
Broncos owner and CEO Greg Penner doesn't see the team using the 2024 season as a rebuilding year, though. From the 2024 NFL Annual Meeting, Penner assured that the Broncos are going to be competitive next season.
“We're passionate about being competitive,” Penner said. “That's both in the short term and the long term. You can call it sort of whatever you want, but our focus is on putting the best possible team on the field this coming year.”
Fans may doubt Penner's words with how the team acted during free agency this offseason. However, Penner explained that the Broncos' approach in free agency was indicative of how they are looking to build their roster going forward.
“Obviously, a very different approach this year vs. last year,” Penner said. “… We knew going into this go-around, we weren't going to take the same approach. I've been impressed with Sean [Payton] and George [Paton.] They've been very measured and strategic. Our approach is going to be long-term to build the roster through the draft and then be opportunistic with free agency and trades and strike when we are in a good place to do that. We're not going to be aggressive every year like we were last year.”
Greg Penner still remains confident in George Paton
During the offseason, rumors spread regarding George Paton being on the hot seat as general manager. One of the biggest knocks against Paton was his decision to bring in Wilson. Needless to say, the Wilson era in Denver crashed and burned. So Paton's seat is certainly hot. He's also feeling immense pressure to have a successful 2024 NFL Draft and also find a franchise quarterback.
However, Paton does have a knack for finding gems in the drafts.
Despite Paton's hot seat, Penner still has confidence in him to continue improving the team. Not only does he have confidence in Paton and Payton, but he's also confident in the Broncos being able to win as well, Penner told 9News Denver.
“We’re going to build this in the right way so that we can be in a position to win as much as we possibly can every year and have the most competitive team,” Penner said. “I have a lot of confidence in our leadership team on the coaching side and personnel that we can do that.”
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