AFC West Staff Updates: Paton, Chargers, Chiefs

In an appearance on the Altitude Sports Radio show in Denver, ESPN’s Adam Schefter answered a question pertaining to the possibility of Broncos general manager George Paton potentially leaving the team. As the hosts of the show posed the situation, the Vikings are currently looking to fill their open GM role, and Paton is in the final year of his contract with Denver. Paton spent 14 years working his way through Minnesota’s front office and landed the Broncos general manager position after serving five years as director of player personnel for the Vikings.

Despite the obvious connection, Schefter did his best to assuage his hosts’ concerns. While conceding that he had heard the name mentioned in relation to the job in Minnesota, he relayed that he hadn’t gotten any indication that Paton would leave right now. While Paton could leave one day, Schefter didn’t get the impression he was looking to go anywhere at the moment and “is pretty content” with a team that “is intent on keeping him in Denver.”

On the coaching side of things, Matt Zenitz of CBS Sports reported yesterday that USC defensive backs coach Doug Belk is expected to be taking the same role in Denver for 2026. Last year’s defensive pass game coordinator Jim Leonhard and cornerbacks coach Addison Lynch have both departed for new roles in Buffalo and New York, respectively, so the Broncos will now turn to Belk to coach up their elite secondary.

Here are a few other staff updates from around the AFC West:

• After seeing linebackers coach NaVorro Bowman depart to spend more time with his family, the Chargers have turned to another former NFL linebacker to fill the role. According to NFL insider Jordan Schultz, Los Angeles is hiring former Steelers linebacker Sean Spence to the role of inside linebackers coach. Initially a promising third-round pick out of Miami (FL), Spence’s playing career was derailed early by injuries, but he eventually turned to coaching. Spence has spent the last three years at Western Michigan as a special teams analyst (2023), linebackers coach (2024), and edges coach (2025). If the team re-signs pending free agent veteran Denzel Perryman, Spence would be coaching his former Hurricanes teammate.
• Schultz also reports that the Chargers are hiring Denzel Martin as an assistant outside linebackers coach. Martin spent the last six years working with outside linebackers for the Steelers, getting named OLB coach in 2023. He’ll now bring his experience working with the likes of T.J. Watt, Alex Highsmith, Nick Herbig, and Co. to Los Angeles.
• Lastly, according to Zenitz, the Chiefs are bringing back Terry Bradden in the role of assistant defensive line coach. Bradden had worked for eight years as a defensive assistant in Kansas City before taking a job as defensive line coach at Nebraska last year. He’ll now return to the Chiefs with an upgraded title.