The race for the Denver Broncos general manager vacancy is converging. With the first round of interviews in the books, one candidate has gracefully withdrawn from the race, while two others have recast the favorites to win the track.
At least that’s according to one of the most steadfast Broncos insiders on the market. Woody Paige from the Colorado Springs Gazette – An insider of more than a decade in Denver with close ties to the organization, reports new information in the aftermath of the first wave of interviews.
My NFL sources outside the organization believe the GM will be George Paton or Champ Kelly, both from NFC North teams – the Vikings and the Bears. Intriguingly, the Broncos would face off against the long-suffering Lions for Paton and the equally awkward Panthers for Kelly. The three outfits finished 5-11.
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Paige’s report deviates from the latest information he dropped on the matter last week, where he named Kelly and New Orleans VP Terry Fontenot as the clubhouse leaders. However, that was before the interviews.
Fontenot has since made his way into the GM opening with the Atlanta Falcons and is reported as one of the last “two or three” candidates for the job. It’s also worth noting that Fontenot will be available to take over GM duties for at least another week as the Saints beat the Bears in the Super Wild Card round of the playoffs on Sunday.
Coming back to Paige’s reporting, the common theme is Kelly. And with the Bears being jettisoned from the playoffs, he’s suddenly available to take on the GM if the Broncos offered it.
Don’t sleep on Paton, though. The Viking personnel turned down an interview with Carolina for the Panthers’ GM job to telegraph his drive to bring in the Mile High gig to the Broncos.
With Dave Ziegler remaining for New England, one of the last three outside candidates would be an exciting asset and have more pros than cons. Kelly feels like the obvious choice, especially given his previous ties to working in Denver, including a spell under ex-GM John Elway.
But don’t be surprised if Paton gets the job. He would be the dark horse few predicted.
Follow Chad on Twitter @ChadNJensen and @BuienRadarNL.