Broncos General Manager George Paton took a big chance when he traded a boatload of players and draft picks to the Seahawks for Russell Wilson. Paton then took another big chance when he gave Wilson a huge contract extension. To say it didn’t work out would be a massive understatement.
But Paton says sometimes you have to take a chance in the NFL, when you’re searching for a franchise quarterback.
“We took a shot on a quarterback who’s had a lot of success in this league,” Paton said, via Mike Klis of KUSA. “Nine pro Bowls, won the most the first 10 years in this league. It wasn’t just Russ. There’s a lot of contributing factors as to why we didn’t win. At the end of the day, we didn’t play good enough offense. We didn’t win enough games. I’m accountable for that. No one tried harder than Russ to make this work. Appreciate his effort, the professionalism he showed. Total pro. Wish him the best in Pittsburgh, he’s going to a good team. Just wish the best.”
But while there might be a lot of contributing factors to why the Broncos didn’t win, they obviously think Wilson’s poor play was a major factor or else they wouldn’t have eaten the enormous hit to their salary cap that it took to cut him this year.
The Broncos may now take another shot on a quarterback, with the possibility that they could move up into the Top 4 picks to take the quarterback they hope can finally lead them to the playoffs — where they haven’t been since their quarterback was Peyton Manning.
Colorado coach Deion Sanders said last week that “it’s going to be an Eli” for Buffaloes quarterback Shedeur Sanders and cornerback/receiver Travis Hunter. Deion then listed the NFL cities where they will play — Atlanta, Washington, Dallas, Baltimore, and San Francisco.
It’s smart to do it now, for one very important reason. Given the inherently subjective nature of the scouting process, teams not on the short list might be inclined to shy away from putting Shedeur Sanders and Travis Hunter high on their own boards. Really, why pick an avoidable fight with players who have the money to sit out a full year and re-enter the draft? By making an independent judgment over the next year that the players aren’t their cup of tea, the teams that Sanders and Hunter don’t want won’t have to endure a bucket of ice water later.
Deion’s effort to narrow the field makes sense even if Shadeur Sanders and Travis Hunter end up not being top prospects. However far they slide, they’ll still end up with a team they want to play for. And their NIL money will make up for slipping farther down the stack of picks.
The question is whether a team will pick one or both of them out of spite. To prove who’s boss. To show that the teams run the process, not the players.
If someone wants to do that, go ahead and try. They won’t show up, they’ll live off their NIL money, they’ll re-enter the draft, and the teams that draft them will have pissed away the pick — like the Bucs did in 1986 when they made Bo Jackson the No. 1 overall selection even though he said he was going to play baseball.
It’s the first tangible example of the impact of the new age of college football on pro football. And it’s overdue. Why should college players have to go where they’re told to go and not where they want to go? It’s 32 different businesses. not one business with 32 branches. If someone wants to live and work in some cities and not others, they should be able to do so.
And, yes, it’s amazing how many people will call that position “leftist” or “socialist.” It’s a position that respects individual freedom of choice. Moreover, the NFL is in many respects a socialist organization. The people who throw that term around as a weapon would know that, if they ever bothered to learn what it actually means.
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