Dec 2, 2024; Denver, Colorado, USA; Denver Broncos general manager George Paton before the game against the Cleveland Browns at Empower Field at Mile High. / Ron Chenoy-Imagn Images
The Denver Broncos finished the 2024 season with a 10-7 record and a Wildcard playoff exit Denver's focus is now shifting to the offseason.
With $48 million in projected salary-cap space and a full complement of draft picks, the Broncos have the resources for an interesting offseason. Already, fans and media alike are thinking ahead to the offseason and NFL free agency.
On Wednesday, the Broncos brass held its end-of-season press conference to reflect on the positive campaign. GM George Paton touched on what the team's approach will be in free agency this offseason.
"I think we'll be measured. I think it worked out for us last year," Paton said. "We were very measured. We picked our spots. We were very strategic. It worked out."
Indeed, Paton took a measured approach last year, and it paid off in spades. Zach Allen, who posted 8.5 sacks and 72 pressures, arrived in 2023 as a free-agent signing. For the first time in his career, he garnered All-Pro honors (second-team). Allen was an immaculate signing.
Last offseason, the Broncos signed safety Brandon Jones to help fill the Justin Simmons-sized hole in the secondary, while defensive Malcolm Roach added some much-needed depth on the defensive line. Not overspending on big-ticket items this offseason could yield similar returns.
"You can't go crazy every year. My first year here, we wanted to set the tone, and I talked about it with the offensive line and the Zach Allens of the world," Paton said. "We were measured, [but] we still got some really good players, Brandon Jones, like I talked about Malcolm Roach."
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Let's also not forget about the trade last year to acquire defensive lineman John Franklin-Myers, who helped to vastly upgrade the Broncos' defensive line, and take some attention off of Allen. 'JFM' finished with seven sacks. The Broncos also traded away wideout Jerry Jeudy to free up cap space, which worked out for the team and its former first-round pick.
"[We] made a few trades that we really liked," Paton said. "We'll see. We could be really aggressive, but I think we'll have a more measured approach and still upgrade our team."
It's better to spread the wealth to fill multiple holes than blow the bag on one or two players, which would be a viable strategy if Denver was two players away from being a serious contender. Paton left the door open about being more aggressive, and CEO and co-owner Greg Penner agrees the Broncos have that option this time around.
"As we go into this offseason, it's a different situation again," Penner said on Wednesday. "We are going to have a little more cap space. Our needs are different. We have a young nucleus and a great quarterback to build around. We haven't set yet what our approach to free agency will be. If it is appropriate, we will be aggressive, but I'm not sure we'll need to do that."
It's nice to have options when assembling a team. The assets from the Walton-Penner ownership group, combined with the lesser cap hit from the Russell Wilson trade -- $34 million instead of the $53 million this season -- give the Broncos much room to work with.
That flexibility to build a roster is paramount after Denver secured a franchise quarterback in Oregon phenom Bo Nix. 2025 is sure to be one of the most exciting offseasons for the Mile High City in quite some time.