Denver Broncos general manager George Paton has been such an intricate part of the team’s roster building and developmental success, and that process has only accelerated with Sean Payton as the team’s head coach. As the Broncos prepare for a busy 2025 offseason, they want to build this team the right way around rookie quarterback Bo Nix.
Denver Broncos want to build team ‘the right way’ around Bo Nix
Last season, the Denver Broncos found a way to navigate having to deal with $90M in dead cap, impacting how they could build the roster in NFL Free Agency and in the NFL Draft after they moved on from Russell Wilson in search of their next quarterback. With all of those limitations facing them, George Paton and head coach Sean Payton made it work.
“I just think we couldn’t miss last year,” Paton said. “We really had to be strategic, and it’s not easy. We didn’t hit on all of them, but we had to hit and we didn’t have all the money to go. Every year we do that, and you don’t always hit. I just think you don’t always need the big splash. You don’t always need to buy your team. You build it the right way, you draft, your develop and you’re selective in free agency. You’re hopefully measured. Does that mean you’re not going to have a big signing this year? No. I think for the most part you just have to be measured.”
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So many teams play darts every year in the draft or free agency when trying to find a quarterback, but Paton and Payton struck gold with Bo Nix. Through patience, due diligence, and in-depth evaluation, Paton and Payton saw things in Nix that they believed would translate into their quarterback of the future.
It paid off. Nix established himself as the team’s franchise quarterback for the foreseeable future and because of that, Denver’s brain trust can have a long-term plan on trying to build this roster around him, especially while he’s on a rookie deal.
“We have a few years obviously, but you always want to build,” Paton said at the NFL Combine. “We want to build the right way and build the best team around the quarterback. That’s just our process moving forward—the best defense, the best special teams and the best offense. Explosive elements, of course we want to do that, but just build the best team around the quarterback. Maybe you’re a little bit more aggressive as you move on in his [QB Bo Nix’s] career.”
So what does that mean if we’re looking deeper into GM-speak? With Nix on a rookie deal, the Broncos have plenty of flexibility in the years ahead, especially as the NFL’s salary cap is anticipated to increase annually. Paton’s philosophy on drafting and developing players has been one of his key foundational principles and that has stood out with players like Patrick Surtain II, Quinn Meinerz, Jonathon Cooper, and Garett Bolles receiving contract extensions this past season.
Nik Bonitto, Zach Allen, and Courtland Sutton are anticipated to be next up on the list of extensions, which indicates a commitment to keeping the core of this roster together while constantly finding ways to improve it for years to come, whether that be by adding in free agency to a specific position or drafting players and investing further in their ability to develop them into potential starters.
Sean Payton indicated that aiding Nix in his development doesn’t necessarily mean it requires them adding an elite level wide receiver, tight end, or running back.
“Good question,” Payton said. “The running back and tight end could obviously help in his development, and then I would also say a really good elite pass rusher would help in his development and a really good cover corner. I’m only saying that, meaning the best player that helps the team get better is going to help in his development. Sometimes, I think that when you talk about getting him weapons, that is important. You mentioned two positions that would help, but we have to look closely at what helps the team because that in turn can end up helping that position. At No. 20, we will have some good options. We are here to sort through those options right now, and we will go from there.”
With plenty of room in salary cap space for free agency and an arsenal of draft picks that they previously haven’t had in the last handful of years, the Denver Broncos are in a position to strike, whether that’s with an aggressive approach or as Paton has indicated — a measured one.
