Report: Broncos' In-Person GM Candidate George Paton Flies Home to Minnesota

The candidate has left the building.

The Denver Broncos held their second-round interviews for the general manager opening with two finalists on Tuesday. Minnesota's assistant GM George Paton flew into Denver to tour the facility and interview the second time in-person while New Orleans' assistant GM Terry Fontenot's was through Zoom. 

The Saints, after all, are still alive in the playoffs. While Paton seems to be the most qualified candidate on the surface having spent 14 seasons in the Vikings' front office working hand-in-glove with GM Rick Spielman, Fontenot's resume is just as impressive, if not more so. 

Insiders have labeled Paton (pronounced Pay-ton) the odds-on favorite to win the job but then a new development unfolded. Following his in-person interview, Paton hopped on a plane and flew back to Minnesota Tuesday evening. 

Welp! 

After his in-person interview with Broncos yesterday, George Paton flew back to Minneapolis last night per source. Still going through process. More talks expected. #9sports

— Mike Klis (@mikeklis) January 13, 2021

"After his in-person interview with Broncos yesterday, George Paton flew back to Minneapolis last night per source. Still going through process. More talks expected," 9NEWS' Mike Klis tweeted. 

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We'll see how talks progress but fans will wonder why and how the Broncos let the 51-year-old Paton depart without a deal — if he is, indeed, the GM hiring committee's top choice to succeed John Elway. It could be that Paton is simply playing hard to get; it's an everyday negotiation tactic employed in relationships both romantic and in business. 

It could be that in-person, Paton didn't feel the warm and fuzzies with the Broncos. Or the other way around; maybe Elway and CEO Joe Ellis, along with head coach Vic Fangio (who will be foisted upon the next GM) didn't feel as good about Paton in-person as they did over a Zoom chat. 

It could be that Paton is using the Broncos to drive up the price of his opportunity to land the Detroit Lions' GM job. Or, go with me here, maybe Paton isn't the Broncos' first choice after all. 

Maybe it's the 40-year-old Fontenot. The fly in that ointment? Fontenot could not start the new GM job in Denver until the Saints are either bounced from the playoffs or after the Super Bowl, whichever came first. 

In any relationship, the one who needs the other the least holds the most power. Some might wager that it's the Broncos who need Paton, or Fontenot, not the other way around. I would disagree. 

These personnel execs work their butts off in relative anonymity for years and years in hopes of one day landing a GM job in the NFL. Remember, there are only 32 such jobs in the world. 

This is all speculation on my part. But Paton flying home isn't a positive harbinger for his candidacy to be the Broncos' next GM. 

It doesn't mean he won't be. But an unwritten law in any NFL recruitment process is, if you're man is in the building, you can't let him leave without a deal. 

Perhaps Paton isn't the Broncos' guy after all. Then again, Klis said "more talks expected" but that obviously is a wide-open, gray landscape. Time will soon tell. 

Follow Chad on Twitter @ChadNJensen and @MileHighHuddle.