After Russell Wilson signed a massive extension before the 2022 season began, and hasn't lived up to it this season, plenty of Denver Broncos fans have an opinion on how that reflects on general manager George Paton.
As the man in control of personnel, it's common wisdom to attribute such decisions to Paton. Certainly, he is the man primarily responsible for the trade in the first place.
However, NFL insider Benjamin Allbright of KOARadio has indicated that Paton is "100% safe" to return as Broncos GM for 2023.
"Paton, who is 100% safe, is respected as one of the top GMs around the league," Allbright said.
In response to replies on Twitter about the Wilson extension, Allbright said that move came about because the Walton-Penner ownership group supported it.
"It's a group decision, Paton wanted to wait the ownership wanted to get a jump on the market. It's their money he's being a steward of. has too much class to come out and throw ownership under the bus but internally everyone knows what happened. Fans don't," Allbright said on Twitter.
Remember that when the Broncos acquired Wilson, the Walton-Penner ownership group had not yet acquired the team, and Paton didn't immediately extend the QB. Allbright's insight into what happened behind the scenes gives a clearer picture of how the Wilson extension came to be.
It's fair to ask whether Wilson should have been extended, given that the Los Angeles Rams didn't extend Matthew Stafford until more than a year after their blockbuster trade for him.
But consider this: Stan Kroenke was the owner when Rams GM Les Snead extended 2016 first-round pick Jared Goff. That extension didn't pan out, and Kroenke could see it firsthand.
Consequently, when Snead made the trade for Stafford, he could sell Kroenke on the idea of waiting to extend Stafford, even with quarterback salaries rising. Snead could simply point to the Goff situation, and Kroenke would likely acknowledge that waiting might be the better approach.
While Paton is supposed to have the final say on personnel, this situation is a reminder that NFL owners may sometimes want particular moves to happen. If an owner asks a GM to do something and the GM does it, it's hard to hold that against the GM.
This does not mean that Paton doesn't bear responsibility for any move. After all, every free-agent signing under his tenure thus far happened before the Walton-Penner ownership group took over.
Nor does it mean that ownership will micromanage Paton. It's not unusual for owners to make suggestions or ask something be done when owners look at the market for players.
Time will tell what the new ownership group does, but fans should expect that if the ownership requests something of a GM, it shouldn't be held against the GM if it doesn't pan out.
The question that remains is how ownership responds in the future. That response will not only determine the futures of Wilson and Paton, but if the Broncos have the ownership who will understand what it takes for the team to rise to prominence again.
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