INDIANAPOLIS — Denver Broncos general manager George Paton said Tuesday at the NFL scouting combine that “everything is on the table” in the team’s pursuit of a quarterback, including trading multiple first-round picks to get one or bringing back Teddy Bridgewater.
The Broncos have been an oft-discussed landing spot for Green Bay Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers if Green Bay eventually chooses to actually consider offers for the 10-time Pro Bowl selection. And while Paton cannot publicly discuss Rodgers’ situation because he is under contract with another team, he said he would consider a blockbuster deal for a veteran quarterback if he had the chance.
Asked specifically Tuesday if he would consider trading multiple first-round picks as part of a deal to acquire a quarterback, Paton said: “I just think that’s the flexibility you have when you have a lot of picks. We have 11 picks, so if we had to give a little to go get a player, we can do it, and it’s not going to handcuff you for the draft … Everything’s on the table; we do like having picks.”
The Broncos have the No. 9 pick in this year’s first round and have five picks among the first 100 selections in the draft.
The Broncos also went through their free-agency meetings last week to map out the team’s plan with the available unrestricted free agents, including at quarterback. Asked if he came away from those meetings with “multiple” players at the position he would consider signing, Paton said:
“I wouldn’t say multiple, but there are some ones we like that are very appealing, including Teddy [Bridgewater],” Paton said. “Teddy’s a guy, you know how I feel about Teddy. I know the coaches watched him, they had a lot of good things to say about Teddy, the new coaches. We’re just going to keep everything open with the quarterback position. We know how important it is … I know everyone is champing at the bit to get one and so are we.”
Drew Lock is the only quarterback the Broncos have under contract, and Brett Rypien is a restricted free agent. Both Paton and newly hired coach Nathaniel Hackett have said they believe Lock is a “talented” player and they want to see how Lock gets acclimated to the new playbook.
The Broncos’ offense has been an exercise in futility for much of the past six seasons. Bridgewater was the 10th different quarterback to start a game behind center since the midway point of the 2016 season, and the Broncos haven’t averaged more than 23 points per game since 2014.
They haven’t averaged more than 21 points per game in any of the past six seasons — all playoff misses.
“Everything’s on the table. You don’t know who is going to be available, you don’t know who is going to be available in free agency, the draft, lot of ways to acquire them,” Paton said. “We’re keep all our options open.”