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Friction and dysfunction are swirling through the Denver Broncos' front office. A power struggle between head coach Sean Payton and general manager George Paton threatens to upend the Broncos' franchise. In the early days of this offseason, a story circulated that insinuated that Payton allowed the Broncos to retain Paton in his GM role. That looming power given to Payton seems to destabilize the working relationships of some involved. After speaking with 31 NFL agents, sometimes referred to as representatives, to get their opinions on the best and worst franchises, one agent delivered a harsh commentary for the Broncos.
“Broncos. There’s dysfunction between the GM and the coach over who is calling the shots. Somehow (Sean) Payton has wrestled control from George Paton.”
Just a day ago, Paton spoke on the big improvements seen from QB Zach Wilson this preseason.
“We knew Zach [Wilson] was really talented, we didn’t know the person. We loved the day-to-day with Zach, we love the person,” Paton continued. “He’s smart. All the intangibles (are there). He obviously played well (in preseason), and he moved the team.”
This was quite a stark change from the media narratives about Wilson during his time with the New York Jets. Perhaps Paton can be the ying to Payton's yang and create some good vibes.
Winning can heal Broncos' power struggle between Sean Payton and George Paton
NFL insiders Ian Rapoport and Tom Pellissero reported that Paton's job was safe after the 2023 disaster.
“Paton is viewed as safe inside the organization, sources say. Based on his overall evaluation talents and a strong working relationship with Sean Payton since the head coach arrived last offseason, all indications are Paton should stay on,” the insiders reported.
The pair also noted that Paton took the brunt of the fall in the contract problems with Russell Wilson and when the team needed to move on from veterans like Randy Gregory and Frank Clark.
When the power struggle story circulated through the media, the Broncos and Paton must have felt compelled to respond when asked how his role has changed or if he had final say on personnel decisions.
“He’s so collaborative,” Paton said of Payton. “We would not bring in a player that Sean and I didn’t agree upon. We wouldn’t bring in a player that two coaches probably [did not agree upon, or] a coach and a scout. We dissect it, and we get into it. We do deep dives. It has not really come up in my career very often, but it certainly hasn’t come up with Sean being here.”
The Broncos will begin the regular season with a Week 1 road matchup against the Seattle Seahawks on Sunday, September 8, at 4:05 p.m. EST.
