The Denver Broncos have shelled out a lot of money in the last nine months to lock up their core players, and most teams aren’t able to do this. The Broncos have a unique situation that showed up again when they paid cornerback Pat Surtain II some extra money when he began to drop from the ranks of the best-paid cornerbacks in the game.
The Broncos were able to do this because they approach the salary cap differently than most teams. They plan carefully for moments like this, and it gives them the ability to change plans quickly on the fly.
Advertisement
“I always talk about flexibility,” general manager George Paton said as the offseason began in a piece written by Nick Kosmider of The Athletic. “We’re going to have all sorts of flexibility.”
It’s been a busy season, and Paton has had a lot to do. He’s had to incorporate the cap numbers of receiver Jaylen Waddle, then find money to pay Surtain in a way that matches his performance on the field. They won’t be able to do this forever with the current group, but they have been able to create a situation where they can go with the same group with a couple of key additions.
Coach Sean Payton knows how important this can be. He knows Paton doesn’t get enough credit, but they are on the same page when it comes to the team the Broncos want to put on the field.
“You have to apply some patience and have a good plan,” Payton said at the league meeting back in March. “We recognize where we are at. We understand exactly where we are at with Bo’s contract, our team.”
Advertisement
Payton also knows where the bear traps are in all this, and that’s just as important. He’s seen all the mistakes that typically get made, and he knows how to steer around them.
“And yet, the mistake that two-thirds of the teams make is trying to win the day,” Payton continue. “Win the draft day, win the hiring-cycle day and win the free agency day. We are interested in winning. That’s why our fanbase is extremely important to us, but we are going to do what we think is best for our team to be better when this puzzle is finished at the end of, call it, June. Then, what do we look like at that point?”
Right now the Broncos look like a Super Bowl contender whose window is still open, and Surtain is an important part of that. So is having the flexibility to pay him.