Broncos general manager George Paton is promoting from within to fill his top front office opening.

Paton is making Reed Burckhardt his assistant general manager, promoting the director of player personnel into the job previously held by Darren Mougey.

Mougey was named the New York Jets’ general manager in January.

Burckhardt has extensive history with Paton. The pair worked together for 12 years in Minnesota before Paton was hired as the Broncos general manager in 2021. Burckhardt stayed with the Vikings for that season before Paton hired him in Denver in 2022 as his director of player personnel.

Burckhardt is one of several Broncos front office staffers in line for a new title this offseason after Denver had a mass exodus of key executives.

Paton told The Post in late March that Burckhardt was one of the people who stepped up as the departures mounted, though he also missed some time right around free agency when he had a child born.

“From Reed to (VP of player personnel) Cody Rager, Brian Stark,” Paton said then of those who took on extra responsibility. “(Stark’s) had to take the brunt of it, the college scouting director, because the draft has obviously been the focus. He’s had to organize it, and he’s been great. All the scouts, really, have stepped up.

“(Midwest national scout) Bryan Chesin, (assistant college scouting director) Nick Schiralli, (Western national scout) Sae Woon Jo. Just the communication’s been different. Now they’re pretty much just talking to me. ‘Moug’ was kind of a buffer — I mean, I talked to them all the time, but it’s just different.”

Stark has also since left the organization to become the assistant general manager in Las Vegas.

The Burckhardt promotion follows the hire of former Patriots director of college scouting Camren Williams as the Broncos’ co-director of player personnel. A source told The Post that Williams’ title will still serve as co-director, not fully replacing Burckhardt in the role, indicating further internal reshuffling is likely to come across the next week.

With Denver’s assistant-GM role now filled, Paton’s largest forthcoming task is to find a new director of college scouting, replacing organizational mainstay Brian Stark after he was hired by the Las Vegas Raiders.

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Originally Published: May 16, 2025 at 10:55 AM MDT