EAGAN, Minn. (KDVR) — It was a homecoming for new Denver Broncos general manager George Paton.
“This is a business trip, and we’re treating it as such,” said Paton, who was hired early in 2021 away from the Minnesota Vikings. “Good to see everyone today.”
The things he learned over 14 years in Minnesota are why he’s now in his first-year as general manger in Denver.
“These facilities are amazing as everyone knows, but it’s just good for our team— and I know for their team — just to get away from the dog days of summer,” Paton said. “We’re sick of kind of competing against each other, so getting out here and competing against a really good football team in the Vikings, it’s been beneficial to us.”
Paton has put together an impressive roster: a good combination of young starters who show promise on offense and a defense that is championship level.
The biggest question continues: who is the starting quarterback?
Teddy Bridgewater and Drew Lock are Paton’s two options. Neither has separated themselves to be named starter.
“We’re happy with both, and you can see: some days it’s Drew, some days it’s Teddy,” Paton said. “These guys are working hard. They embrace the competition, [which] is what I really like, and I know [Head Coach] Vic [Fangio] likes as well. I think we’re on the right track with both these quarterbacks.”
“We don’t have a time frame,” Paton said. “I think I said last time we just want to let it happen organically. It is Vic’s call. I’m a sounding board for him, as are the coaches, as are the scouts. We really like the competition. We’ve got a hell of a competition going on right now. Both guys are working their butts off, and I think it’s going to bring out the best of both quarterbacks.”
So is there pressure on the first-year general manager to pick the right guy under center?
“I don’t look at it like that — the pressure to get a quarterback,” Fangio said. “We all want to get that quarterback. Obviously, you need one to get where you want to go, but I don’t look at it as pressure. I look at it as a challenge, and we look forward to the challenge. We do think we have two really good quarterbacks here. We may have that guy here, so we’re not panicking. We’re going to build this team [with] foundational players, and hopefully, we have a foundational quarterback here in our group.”