INDIANAPOLIS – Having witnessed first-hand last year what the Broncos lack at quarterback and what their AFC West rivals all possess, general manager George Paton was short on specifics but adamant in his stance Tuesday at the Scouting Combine.
“No stone unturned to find that guy,” Paton said inside the Indiana Convention Center. “We know we need better play out of the quarterback position so we’re going to be aggressive.”
And …
“It’s the most important position in sports, we believe, and I know everyone is chomping on the bit to get one and so are we,” Paton said.
And …
“Obviously, quarterback is huge,” Paton said. “You need one to get to where you need to go and it’s on our mind a lot.”
The Broncos’ Plan A — or their Plans B-D for that matter — should already be crystallized. If it’s a trade, this is the week to discuss the parameters with other teams. If it’s free agency, this is the week to connect informally with agents. And if it’s the draft, this is the week to meet one-on-one with prospects for the first time.
What we know: The Broncos are likely to have a sixth different Week 1 starting quarterback in as many years. … If there was still legitimate belief in Drew Lock, Paton and Co., would have never acquired Teddy Bridgewater last April. … And Paton has 11 draft picks in his arsenal to use to trade for a quarterback.
What we don’t know: Just about everything else, chiefly how far Paton will go in terms of picks and players to acquire Aaron Rodgers from Green Bay or Russell Wilson from Seattle.
“We just want the best guy, we don’t care if it’s free agency, we don’t care if it’s the draft (and) we don’t care if it’s a trade,” Paton said. “We’re going to exhaust all options to try and get the best guy for the Broncos.”
The best guy, the guy who can lift the franchise out of their five-year playoff drought and back into the AFC West conversation is Rodgers, who, in theory, would cost less than Wilson. When the Packers were eliminated from the playoffs on Jan. 22, Rodgers said he would make a decision about 2022 ahead of the March 16 start of free agency.
“No new updates,” Packers general manager Brian Gutekunst said here Tuesday.
That can mean two things at the same time: Rodgers is continuing his self-deliberation process (Packers, another team or retirement?) and it could also signal that the Broncos are still in the mix for No. 12.
The clock isn’t on Rodgers’ side, though. The Packers want to keep him and free agent receiver Davante Adams, but to accomplish that, they likely need to sign Rodgers to a contract extension that includes lowering his current ’22 cap hit of $46.7 million before Adams hits the market.
Asked if expects to hear Rodgers’ decision before March 16, Gutekunst said: “I would hope so. That would be helpful. I would think we (would) know something before then. … Obviously, we would like to know as soon as we can because it helps for planning and moving forward.”
If the Broncos are in the Rodgers Sweepstakes, it is also ideal for them to gain clarity before the March 14 negotiating window opens.
If Rodgers is in the fold, the Broncos can lower his cap number via a multi-year contract extension and know they have a little space to address outside linebacker, nickel corner, right tackle and inside linebacker.
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If Rodgers stays put in Green Bay, the Broncos can use their $38 million in cap space to sign a stop-gap free-agent quarterback and then address the aforementioned needs.
It all leads into the draft. The Broncos have five of the top 96 picks (first round and two apiece in rounds 2-3). A quarterback trade would cost them at least two of those picks. Paton likes to start a draft weekend with 10 picks, which allows him supreme flexibility in moving up and down the board.
“We’re always going to be aggressive, we’re going to be disciplined, (and) we’re always willing to move up or move back,” Paton said when asked if he would give up some of those picks for a quarterback.
Paton hasn’t closed the door on Bridgewater (free agent) and Lock (one year left on his rookie deal). But reading between his words, the Broncos have other players in mind.
“Everything is on the table at quarterback,” Paton said. “You just don’t know who’s going to be available in free agency and the draft. (There are) a lot of ways to acquire them. We’re keeping all of our options open.”
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