This Broncos off-season will be one of the most pivotal in recent franchise history, with a new general manager at the wheel in George Paton, an enigmatic-at-best quarterback situation, and several key players with expiring contracts.
As a result, one of the top concerns in Broncos Country is justifiably, “Will these franchise cornerstones like Justin Simmons and Von Miller be back for 2021?”
Paton’s pre-free agency press conference should fuel some optimism in that regard.
“We’re still working through it with Von and his agent,” Paton said of the ongoing negotiations with the Broncos’ longest-tenured player. “In regard to the legal process, we’re going to let the legal process play out. Obviously, it’s a serious situation, but we want to let it play out before we comment on that.”
The legal process is definitely a situation to keep an eye on, though as of now it appears there won’t be a suspension or any other serious ramifications.
“We want to bring Von back and we’re still working through that. I don’t want to get into everything, but we want to bring him back. Obviously, the legal process and what he’s going through, it’s a serious situation. I don’t know all of the details, but we respect what’s going on. We do want Von back,” Paton re-emphasized after closing the discussion on Miller.
Closing that discussion merely checked the first one though, as the media still needed to press Paton on the new face of the defense — and arguably the best safety in the league — Justin Simmons.
“Justin is one of our core guys,” Paton said, reflecting on his philosophy of building a roster by drafting, developing and then re-signing talent. “Our goal since I got here is to sign him to a long-term deal. We have had discussions with his agent. I don’t know if we’ll get a deal done or not, but that’s our goal. He’s the type of guy we want to extend.”
