On Tuesday, three leaders of the Denver Broncos held court at team headquarters for an end-of-season press conference.
Broncos fans heard from CEO Greg Penner, head coach George Paton and head coach Sean Payton. At least all three got their own press contact, unlike previous front offices where the general manager and head coach answered questions together.Â
All three shooters have expert communication skills and are very smart about the information they’re willing to divulge, but we learned quite a bit about where the Broncos are now and what the future holds. Paton has avoided speaking publicly about Wilson’s allegations.
Paton has been asked several times to weigh in on Russell Wilson’s claim that he was threatened if the Broncos did not remove injury coverage from his contract. In both cases, Paton came back and boldly claimed that the Broncos handled the contract request ethically, while also claiming that Payton never participated in such negotiations. “
The door is open” for Russ to return
.Neither Paton nor Payton said a final decision had been made on Wilson’s future with the team. The Army will take a short break at the end of the season and meet again in two weeks to make important roster and financial decisions.
“The door is open for ‘Russ,'” Paton said. “I had a great chat with Russ and Sean also had a great chat. The door is open. We go through this process to technical staff and information staff. We’ll go to Russ and his men and go from there.”The door is open” for Russ to return.Neither Paton nor Payton said a final decision had been made on Wilson’s future with the team.
The Army will take a short break at the end of the season and meet again in two weeks to make important roster and financial decisions. “The door is open for ‘Russ,'” Paton said. “I had a great chat with Russ and Sean also had a great chat. The door is open. We go through this process to technical staff and information staff. We’ll go to Russ and his men and go from there.
Don’t expect activity in the first wave of free agents.
Even if all goes well for Wilson, the Broncos will enter the 2024 season with an annual salary of more than $20 million. Tough personnel decisions ahead, including Wilson. If Wilson is cut, the Broncos will have $85 million in dead money in 2024 alone, more than four times the NFL single-season record.
This would significantly shorten the scope of this team in terms of personnel, making the Broncos cheaper and younger.
