Phillip Lindsay Gives Broncos Fans Gut Read on George Paton: 'He's Going to be a Great GM'

Phillip Lindsay offered up a parting message to Broncos Country on what to expect from new GM George Paton.

The Denver Broncos were rocked by John Elway's sudden decision to step down as general manager at the conclusion of the 2020 season. It was surprising to many, considering that NFL executives and head coaches rarely — almost never — fire themselves. 

Sure, some executives and coaches will retire but stepping down, or in Elway's case, relinquishing control, is a rare, rare thing to occur. And yet, on the heels of five straight seasons of missing the playoffs, four of which were sub-.500 finishes, Elway stepped back. 

As president of football operations still, Elway retained his role as the Broncos' top football executive, however, he's no longer the man in the trenches, rolling up his sleeves and grinding away on the day-to-day. That man is George Paton, whom Elway and CEO Joe Ellis, along with a little input from head coach Vic Fangio, tapped as the man to take over the GM position. 

Thus far, Paton has shouldered the mantle of GM responsibility well and with gusto. He's been lauded for the majority of his roster moves and acquisitions thus far — with one exception. Fans didn't like seeing running back Phillip Lindsay jettisoned. 

But that's not exactly how it happened. Lindsay wasn't cut or fired, per se. As a restricted free agent, Paton made the surprising decision to tender Lindsay at the original-round level, saving the Broncos $1 million-plus but in so doing, risking an outside team signing him to an RFA sheet. 

Once Lindsay saw that the commitment from Paton's Broncos was going to be at the bare-minimum level, he saw the writing on the wall and rallied his agent to convince the GM to rescind the original-round tender. After some deliberation, Paton obliged. 

Lindsay was suddenly an unrestricted free agent and able to negotiate with any and every team that wanted him without those potential suitors worrying about the obstacle of Denver matching an offer. Within 24 hours, the two-time 1,000-yard rusher and 2018 Pro-Bowl phenom signed a one-year, $3.25M deal with the Houston Texans. 

With the dust having settled somewhat, Lindsay opened up on how that whole process unfolded between he and Paton and let Broncos Country in on his read on the first-year GM. 

“[It] definitely was a whirlwind of things, different points of views on certain things, but in the end, everything worked out how it’s supposed to work out,” Lindsay said, via Pro Football Talk. “I’m a full believer in that. Nothing but respect for George. I think that he’s going to be a great GM there in Denver."

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As a parting message, Lindsay gave fans further reinforcement that the Broncos hired the right guy to succeed Elway, even in the wake of the GM's first painful roster decision. When the Broncos signed Melvin Gordon to a two-year, $16M deal last year, Lindsay realized that his days in the Orange and Blue could be numbered. 

Still, he showed up to camp and worked his tail off — in a truncated offseason bereft of any OTAs or preseason to soak up new offensive coordinator Pat Shurmur's scheme, develop his body for the grueling NFL season, and hone his receiving chops within the system. From there, the dynamic playmaker suffered a turf-toe injury in the season-opener that sidelined him until Week 6, where he popped off a 100-yard rushing performance in his first game back. 

That wouldn't be the only bite from the injury bug, alas, as he'd later suffered a concussion and then, finally, a knee injury, which landed him on injured reserve. Perhaps his one year of bad luck with the injury bug provided Shurmur with a sort of confirmation bias to justify the assertion that Lindsay wasn't a fit for his scheme. 

We'll never know for sure. All we can say with certainty now is that Lindsay is a Texan and that he's grateful for the way Paton dealt with him during that turbulent week of free agency. 

"I think what he did for me was he was able to let me go," Lindsay told SirusXM Radio. "When I was pretty much stuck on the tender, it was harder for teams to come get me because they were nervous they were going to be matched. When we came to a mutual agreement, it helped me find a different destination that was going to fit me better at this moment in my career.”

And that's how the cookie crumbled. Lindsay will continue his NFL career in Houston while the Broncos will seek to maximize the last year on Gordon's contract. 

Although it may have been for the best, considering Shurmur's unwillingness to utilize Lindsay in a way that would maximize his unique playmaking gifts, it doesn't mitigate the sting of Broncos fans losing the homegrown 'Colorado Kid.' Even in another team's colors, something tells me Lindsay will continue to be fan-favorite in the Mile High City. 

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