As the Denver Broncos move forward with new leadership, general manager George Paton will be working alongside head coach Sean Payton in a “collaborative” partnership in the team’s front office.
By all accounts, that partnership is off to a good start, even if Paton has mentioned the “Minneapolis Miracle” a time or two.
“I still haven’t recovered from the ‘Minneapolis Miracle,’” Payton said at the combine on Feb. 28. “That’s the one trump card [he has]. He brought up something the other day and they were just talking like, ‘Oh, do you remember when this happened?’ And I’m like, ‘You’re not talking about that right now, are you?’’’
Payton was serving as the head coach of the New Orleans Saints and Paton was serving as assistant GM and vice president of player personnel for the Minnesota Vikings for that crazy playoff game five years ago.
Paton might tease Payton about that play, but they’re on good terms.
“I’ve really enjoyed working side-by-side with Sean,” Paton said at the combine. “I thought we’ve had good chemistry together — a lot of collaboration. Since we made the trade, we’ve been off and running. Sean has put this staff together. We’ve been in draft meetings and free agent prep. [We’ve] had a lot going on in a short time, but I think we’ve accomplished a lot. … He’s been methodical throughout the process — his attention to detail. He had a vision for what he’s looking for. I felt [that] he hired a really good staff.”
Right now, Paton and Payton are busy preparing for NFL free agency, which is set to begin next week. If all goes well this offseason, Paton and Payton could soon begin creating playoff memories on the same team.
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