The Denver Broncos and general manager George Paton have agreed to a five-year contract extension that will keep with the team through the 2030 season, according to a league source.
Paton was hired as the team’s general manager in 2021, replacing longtime top executive John Elway. He signed a six-year contract at the time and was set to enter the final year of that deal before finalizing the extension this week. The Broncos, with a roster largely constructed by Paton and head coach Sean Payton, reached the AFC Championship Game this past season for the first time since 2015.
“We are pleased to announce a new five-year contract for George Paton that reflects our confidence in his leadership, vision and the overall direction of our team,” team owner Greg Penner said in a statement. “As our general manager, George has demonstrated a strong commitment toward building a winning roster while forming a collaborative and supportive partnership with Sean Payton.
“I’ve enjoyed working with George over the last four seasons and appreciate the alignment we share in positioning the Broncos for sustained success.”
Paton’s tenure in Denver began with what has proved to be a highly impactful first draft class. His first selection in 2021 was cornerback Pat Surtain II, who was named Defensive Player of the Year in 2024 and is arguably the top defensive back in the NFL. That class also included right guard Quinn Meinerz (third round) and outside linebacker Jonathon Cooper (seventh), both of whom have been signed to second contracts. His second draft included second-rounder Nik Bonitto, the standout pass rusher who was a finalist for the DPOY award in 2025 and has produced 27.5 sacks the past two seasons. Marvin Mims, Denver’s second-round pick in 2023, was named a Pro Bowler as a returner during each of his first two seasons. In 2024, the Broncos selected quarterback Bo Nix with the 12th overall pick. Nix has won 24 regular-season games since being drafted, tying a league record for the most victories by a quarterback during his first two seasons.
Broncos draft picks during Paton’s tenure have earned a combined nine Pro Bowl berths and five first-team All-Pro honors. Five of his draft picks since 2021 have signed second contracts with the team.
Paton’s two notable misfires came in 2022. A blockbuster trade for quarterback Russell Wilson — Denver sent Seattle five draft picks, including first-rounders in the 2022 and 2023 drafts — netted only 11 wins in 30 starts over two seasons before the veteran was released. Nathaniel Hackett, Paton’s first head-coach hire in 2022, was fired after 15 games in his debut season.
Still, Greg Penner, whose ownership group took over the team during Paton’s second season in Denver, expressed faith in the aftermath of the 2022 season that Denver had the right general manager in place.
The Broncos then hired Payton as head coach in 2023, creating a new decision-making duo atop the personnel flow chart. As a tandem, Payton and Paton enhanced a roster, through free agency and the draft, that has won 32 games the past three seasons, including a franchise-record-tying 14 in 2025.
“I’d say that the two of them, we’d love to have both of them here long-term,” Penner said after Denver’s season ended in late January. “I think the partnership they’ve created and how they work together, it’s very complementary.”
Paton said he and Denver’s head coach have arrived at a place in their scouting and player acquisition where “we all know what a Denver Bronco player at this position should look like.”
“We met in our interview and … I knew then that we would be aligned in how we wanted to build this,” Paton said. “That has just continued to grow. You know how much he loves the draft process and the personnel process. Not only does he love it, he’s really good at it. I mean, he’s really good. He knows what he wants. He articulates it really well to all of the scouts.”
Payton, meanwhile, has two seasons remaining on the five-year contract he signed upon his hiring in 2023.