6 Key Takeaways About the Future From Broncos End-of-Season Pressers

What did we learn from the end-of-season press conference held by the Denver Broncos front-office triumvirate?

On Tuesday, the Denver Broncos leadership triumvirate held court at team headquarters for its end-of-season press conference. Broncos fans got to hear from CEO Greg Penner, GM George Paton, and head coach Sean Payton. 

All three hosted their respective pressers alone, unlike some of the past front-office iterations that would see the GM and head coach, at least, answering questions together. Although all three shot-callers are expert communicators and very savvy in what information they choose to reveal, we did learn quite a lot about the current state of the Broncos and what the future may hold. 

Let's get to my key takeaways from the Broncos' end-of-season pressers.

Paton Avoids Going on Record About Wilson Allegation

USA TODAY Sports

On multiple occasions, Paton was asked point blank to address the veracity of Russell Wilson's allegation that the Broncos threatened to bench him if he didn't remove the injury guarantees from his contract. In each case, Paton responded by spinning, and adamantly claiming the Broncos handled the contractual request ethically, while emphasizing that Payton was never part of those negotiations. 

“During the bye week, I did reach out to Russ’ agent in good faith and in a creative attempt to adjust his contract," Paton said. "We couldn’t get a deal done, and we moved on with our season. It didn’t come up again. Fast forward to Week 17, and Sean makes a change at the quarterback position. This was a football decision made by Sean in what he thought was in the best interest of team. This was completely independent of any conversations I had with the agent. Again, it was a football decision made by Sean. [Regarding] negotiations, I’ll keep the specifics private out of respect for everyone involved. Negotiations are hard. You have difficult conversations and tough conversations. You can characterize a negotiation anyway you want. We always try to handle ourselves professionally and in the best interest of the Broncos. This was no different.”

When asked why Wilson got the impression that Paton was serving him up an ultimatum, the GM replied, "That's a good question," implying that he's curious as to how the QB's camp could come to that conclusion, too. 

“We made a good faith attempt to adjust his contract," Paton said. "We handled ourselves professionally, and I’ll leave it at that.”

There is evidence to support Wilson's claim of being threatened, including the NFLPA's letter to the Broncos, which alleged Paton did present an ultimatum and requested that the team get all of its ducks in a row from a record-keeping perspective for an expected mediation/litigation. However, all the letter proves is that the NFLPA believes Wilson's side of the story, not necessarily that it's the truth. 

The players' union is always going to take the player's side and advocate on his behalf. Meanwhile, there's circumstantial evidence to support the Broncos' denial of the threat, which comes in the form of seven games transpiring between the alleged threat and Wilson's benching, well after the negotiations had died off, and the team had been eliminated from playoff contention. 

Perhaps we'll learn more about each side's claim if/when this does get litigated. After all, the Broncos are poised to eat an NFL record in dead money on the salary cap if Wilson is released.

The Walton-Penner ownership group will have 85 million reasons, just in 2024 alone, to battle the issue down to the bitter end. If it comes to that. 

What happens next for the Broncos? Don't miss out on any news and analysis! Take a second and sign up for our free newsletter and get breaking Broncos news delivered to your inbox daily!

The ‘Door is Open’ for a Russ Return

Both Paton and Payton said that a final decision on Wilson's future with the team hasn't been made. The team brass will take a little time off with the season ending, and reconvene in two weeks to start hashing out the roster and its big financial decisions. 

“The door remains open with ‘Russ,' Paton said. "I’ve had good conversations with Russ, and Sean has had good conversations. The door is open. We’ll get through the process, and we’ll visit with the coaching staff and scouting staff. We’ll visit with Russ and his people, and we’ll go from there.”

Make no bones about it, though; the door is only barely cracked open and will be contingent on Wilson's willingness to renegotiate certain aspects of his contract, as evidenced by one of Penner's remarks. 

“The financial part of it is a significant component, in terms of how this works out in the future, but that’s not what will drive the decision," Penner said. "The decision will be driven by what’s in the best interest of this football team winning games.”

If Wilson was sincere in his declaration two weeks ago after he was benched that he wants to remain in Denver, then perhaps he'll be open to tweaking his contract. That's assuming, however, that the indignity of being benched didn't completely sour his relationship with the Broncos' brain trust. 

Odds are, from Wilson's point of view, there's too much water under that bridge, and whether they like it or not, the Broncos are legally obligated to pay him the guaranteed portions of his contract. 

Don't Expect Activity in First Wave of Free Agency

Gabriel Christus/DenverBroncos.com

Even if everything were hunky dory with the Wilson situation, the Broncos would still be entering the 2024 offseason with north of $20 million over the salary cap. Some tough personnel decisions await, including and beyond Wilson. 

If Wilson is cut, the Broncos will incur a dead-money cap hit of $85 million in 2024 alone, which is more than four times the single-season NFL record. It will significantly clip this team's wings when it comes to personnel, forcing the Broncos to go cheap and young.

“This would be extreme," Paton said of the possible $85M in dead money. "We’ve prepared for any scenario with [V.P. of Football Administration] Rich Hurtado, who runs our [salary] cap. We’ll have flexibility either way to do what we need to do. We won’t be in on the first wave of free agency like we were last year. You can’t do that every year. We’ll be very strategic and very specific on what positions and what players we try to sign.”

That brings us to the next takeaway.

Paton Teases Trades to Acquire More Picks

Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports

The Broncos enter 2024 with six selections in the NFL draft, including the No. 12 overall pick. Considering how cap-strapped this team is, Paton has to make the most of each one of those draft picks and really leave no stone unturned in the college free-agent ranks. 

But the savvy GM also emphasized how much the Broncos like stockpiling draft picks, passively teasing potential trades to acquire more. 

"Obviously, we have to hit on the draft," Paton said. "We’re picking high, and we have six picks. We could have more. You know we like picks. We’ll go from there."

The only way to acquire more draft picks is to make trades, outside of the NFL awarding a team with compensatory selections, which is a formula based on the number of key veterans lost to free agency the year prior who weren't replaced.

So who could the Broncos look to trade in order to stockpile more picks? No doubt, Wilson will be dangled, but the same albatross of a contract weighing down the Broncos' salary cap will also smother any interest that might be there on the trade market. 

Adding to Wilson's non-existent trade value is the fact that NFL teams know that the Broncos are backed into a corner and are likely to have no choice but to release the quarterback. So why give up draft picks or players for Wilson and take on that horrendous contract when he's set to be a free agent sooner rather than later? 

Players under contract who could command some interest on the NFL trade block include left tackle Garett Bolles, Pro Bowl safety Justin Simmons, wide receivers Jerry Jeudy and Courtland Sutton, and... cornerback Patrick Surtain II. Paton went to great lengths to convey the Broncos' plan to stay in the Surtain business for years to come, but of all the players with a modicum of trade value around the NFL, the young corner would command the most in an exchange. 

Cornerback is a cornerstone position, and the Broncos have a proven commodity. But it would take as much as two first-round picks, based on the rumor mill, to even pique Denver's interest in dealing Surtain away. 

However, such a haul would certainly help in the Broncos' effort to find a future franchise quarterback in the 2024 draft and fill roster holes with young talent. In the NFL, it's never say never. There's nothing shocking under the sun when it comes to the league. 

Payton Dissatisfied With Year 1 Offense

Thomas Shea-USA TODAY Sports

Payton is widely viewed as one of the NFL's brightest, most innovative, and competent offensive minds of the modern era. The Broncos' offense was supposed to take quantum leaps forward under Payton.

That didn't happen. However, Payton did move the needle in Year 1. Denver finished dead-last in 2022 in scoring, but improved to No. 19 (21.0 ppg) under Payton.

Paradoxically, the Broncos achieved 500 total yards fewer in 2023 than they did under Nathaniel Hackett the year prior. A big part of Payton's Year-1 struggles was the lackluster play under center, even though Wilson showed massive improvement in 2023, as evidenced by his 26-to-8 touchdown-to-interception ratio. 

Payton shared his derision and dissatisfaction with the Broncos' offensive production on Tuesday. So what do the Broncos have to build on? Outside of Payton's scheme being fully installed and the players having a year in the system, the head coach doesn't see any other silver linings offensively. 

“I think we’ve begun to put a program in place, relative to a foundation. We’re not quite there at the first full year," Payton said. "I think we’re further along in that way (offense fully assimilated). I think that’s it. We’ve begun to lay the foundation and there’s still a lot of work to be done.”

An offense can only go so far as its quarterback can take it. There are a few exceptions to that rule, perhaps, throughout NFL annals, including the miraculous wonders Kyle Shanahan continues to work in San Francisco with one quarterback after another — Brock Purdy being the latest success story. 

Payton had success with quarterbacks not named Drew Brees in New Orleans. And while you can say that Wilson improved in some areas under Payton, he could be cured of the problems that were exacerbated in 2022 with Hackett at the helm, including his poor pocket presence, bailing out of the pocket, not going through his progressions, and falling back into off-schedule play far too often.

Troublingly, the offense's production didn't improve much under Jarrett Stidham in those final two games after Wilson's benching. 2023 serves as an outlier on Payton's quarterback/offensive resume. This puts even more impetus on the Broncos going out and procuring Payton's guy under center. 

Outside of quarterback, the Broncos stayed committed to the run game, but didn't have much success with it from an efficiency standpoint. Part of that was a new collection of offensive linemen, although Denver had remarkable luck at keeping all five on the field without missing a start until Week 18 when right tackle Mike McGlinchey was ruled out. 

With Javonte Williams recovering from his multi-ligament knee injury while still starting in 2023, the Broncos lacked an explosive running back with vision. That's a position the team would be wise to continue churning, even though there's hope that Williams will be much better in 2024 with two years in the rear-view since his grievous injury. 

With Greg Dulcich injured for most of the year, Payton didn't have a dynamic receiving threat at tight end, which, based on the hallmarks of his scheme historically, was a big obstacle that the Broncos failed to overcome. Throw in the lack of production at wide receiver, which stems, in part, from the QB play, and there's plenty of room for improvement in 2024. 

Penner Satisfied With Payton/Paton Relationship

Ron Chenoy-USA TODAY Sports

There are still rumblings about Paton's job security in Denver, but Penner went to bat for his general manager on Tuesday. The Paton/Payton working relationship has gone well, according to all parties, including Penner.

“It’s been a year now, and I thought it worked really well, especially the partnership between Sean and George," Penner said. "That relationship between head coach and GM is critical. I was impressed with the way that they handled going from free agency to the draft. It was great to see a number of young players that George and his staff had drafted previously step up and play key roles. I thought there was improvement this year, and I think George can help us build a winning roster here."

Penner made it clear that the Broncos fell short of expectations in Year 1 of the Paton/Payton regime. And while some "extreme" challenges lie ahead (to quote Paton), Penner feels like the Broncos are on the right path. 

It's worth mentioning that while the Broncos finished 8-9 and posted their seventh straight losing season, Payton has been a net positive on the team. The Broncos finished plus-3 in the standings, improving to eight wins over the five victories the year prior. 

Plus, Payton finally put an end to the Broncos' ignominious losing streak to the Kansas City Chiefs, which spanned all the way back to 2015. The Broncos' five-game winning streak, which saw the team defeat several playoff teams, was also a credit to Payton. 

However, Payton must also shoulder the blame for the Broncos' historically bad 1-5 start, the failure to "fix" Wilson, and the controversial way that the veteran signal-caller was benched a few weeks back. The team's losing streak to the Las Vegas Raiders was also allowed to continue, as the Broncos were swept by the Silver and Black once again. 

One year removed from acquiring Payton's coaching rights from New Orleans and hiring him, it feels like the Broncos still made the right choice. But the path ahead becomes even more clouded now than it was when Payton arrived on the scene due to that anvil chained around the team's neck in the form of Wilson's contract and questions at quarterback. 

---

Follow Mile High Huddle on Twitter and Facebook.

Subscribe to Mile High Huddle on YouTube for daily Broncos live-stream podcasts!