The day after the Denver Broncos benched QB Russell Wilson, many are wondering what the future holds for general manager George Paton.
After all, Paton is the one who made the trade for Wilson which now looks like a bust, and gave him a lucrative contract extension before he ever played a snap with the Broncos. In all likelihood, he’ll never play a down in Denver before the $242.5 million deal kicks in. It was slated to start in 2024.
ESPN’s Adam Schefter joined “Schlereth and Evans” on Thursday morning on 104.3 The Fan and was asked about a variety of topics regarding Wilson’s benching. Mat Smith, in for Mike Evans, and Mark Schlereth talked to Schefter for nearly 25 minutes.
The whole thing is worth your time, but the stuff about Paton’s fate might be the most interesting. Schefter was asked if Paton will remain with the Broncos organization moving forward.
“I think George Paton is immensely respected around the league. I think he’s had a decorated career and I think there’s only one person that will answer that question and that’s Sean Payton,” Schefter said.
Schefter made it clear this decision lies in Payton’s hands and Payton’s hands alone. The head coach is certainly more powerful than the GM, and it’ll be up to him.
“How does Sean feel about moving forward with George? And that’s going to be a Sean decision, just like the Russell thing was ultimately his decision, and we saw how that went. So, we’ll see what he decides there. It’s going to be the next question. I don’t have an answer for you. Sean’s going to have to answer that,” Schefter said.
It’s definitely interesting for Schefter to note the decision to bench Wilson was all Payton. Clearly owner / CEO Greg Penner has given him full control, trusting what the former Super Bowl winner with the Saints wants to do.
The Broncos have two games left, then a decision on Paton will likely come. They could also keep him through the draft, as sometimes general managers are let go in May.
Or, Payton could decide to roll with Paton into the 2024 season and beyond. That’d be surprising given everything that Paton did wrong on the Wilson front, but Payton can be a surprising guy.
