George Paton reiterates the Denver Broncos won’t be aggressive in free agency

Fans expecting the Denver Broncos to make big splashes during free agency may be disappointed.

At his seasoning ending press conference, General Manager George Paton remarked that he didn’t expect that the Denver Broncos would be aggressive in free agency.

With the National Football League announcing a significant increase to next year’s salary cap some had thought those plans would change. The additional cap space certainly gives the Broncos much needed relief, but it won’t significantly impact their approach to free agency. Early in the morning yesterday at the 2024 NFL Scouting Combine in Indianapolis, Paton reiterated that sentiment.

“We said we are going to be strategic. We are not going to be as aggressive as last year,” Paton remarked. “We have flexibility, but we are going to be more measured in trying to fill specific positions, specific needs throughout the team. But we can’t do that every year and be aggressive like we were last year.”

That doesn’t mean they won’t be diligent. A more narrow-focused and strategic approach is what they will do. The team will undoubtedly sign several players to help fill out their roster, but barring a change of heart, don’t expect big-time signings like Ben Powers, Mike McGlinchey, and Zach Allen.

When you think about it—it’s probably for the best. If the Broncos cut Russell Wilson with a post-June 1st cap designation, they are going to have significant dead money hits next year and in 2025. Any unused salary cap space from this season (and it could be a substantial amount) will be rolled over into the 2025 cap to give the Broncos more flexibility.

That will be critical when players like Patrick Surtain, Quinn Meinerz and a few others would have much larger cap allocations with potential new deals on the horizon. Both of the aforementioned should be long-time Broncos and have earned a second contract. That would be a smart use of any extra funds leftover from this year.

Last but not least, a limited approach to free agency will force the Broncos into drafting and developing young players and giving them meaningful playing time early on. That’s the best thing they could do to help turn around the roster and evaluate who they have on the team. After consecutive years of big-time free agency whiffs, using a bit more caution and discretion is the best decision.