Tag: GM

NFL general manager power rankings put Saints’ Mickey Loomis at No. 14

The latest NFL general manager power rankings put New Orleans Saints shot-caller Mickey Loomis at No. 14. It’s a tough spot for the longest-tenured GM in the game:

Anyone can write up their take on the NFL power rankings, but there aren’t many analysts who can offer an informed take on the general manager power rankings. That’s where NFL.com’s Gregg Rosenthal comes in. Rosenthal listed every GM in the league, and it’s kind of a tough look for Mickey Loomis. The New Orleans Saints’ shot-caller is the longest-tenured general manager in the sport, and Rosenthal put him all the way down at No. 14.

But the issue is results, not the process that led the Saints where they are now. Rosenthal gave them credit for some unconventional team-building strategies, but he took care to highlight the misses as much as the hits. Here’s what he had to say of Loomis going into 2023:

The Saints entered the offseason more over the cap than any team, then proceeded to spend more money in free agency than nearly anyone else, including the acquisition of Derek Carr. And they still have plenty of cap space! I give the Saints front office credit for creatively working around the cap, using the cash Gayle Benson is willing to spend. The process isn’t necessarily flawed, but the execution is. Loomis hired Dennis Allen and has stuck by him. The staff kept after Sean Payton feels stale compared with the one ex-Saints player/coach Dan Campbell put together in Detroit. Continuing to spend big on a defense in decline feels short-sighted.

The trade of Chauncey Gardner-Johnson was a total misfire, and the Saints’ decision to let Marcus Williams walk while signing Tyrann Mathieu and Marcus Maye ultimately hurt. Recent drafts have major hits (Chris Olave, Alontae Taylor, Pete Werner) and some potential misses (Payton Turner, Cesar Ruiz, Trevor Penning). This is a franchise that feels a bit all over the place since the final days of Sean Payton’s tenure, with everyone trying to keep the paychecks going. It’s all added up to a team stuck in the middle, but damned if New Orleans doesn’t make the NFL more interesting.

Yeah, that’s tough to argue with. The Saints have pioneered creative salary cap accounting strategies that have become common around the NFL, using that approach as a means to max out their resources each year. It’s helped them build some outstanding football teams. But some spotty decision-making in which players to invest in didn’t quite work as planned, and the Saints have, at times, been too aggressive and shortsighted for their own good on draft day.

Much of that responsibility falls on Loomis. He’s held the job for 20 years and his tendencies are well-known around the league. He’s brought the Saints a Super Bowl championship and multiple Hall of Fame players, and negotiated the difficult divorce with a Hall of Fame coach. He’s also struck out on some high-profile draft picks and pricey free agent signings. It is what it is, and that’s what earned him the spot at No. 14 among his peers.

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After 28 years with Broncos, John Elway’s official affiliation is over

John Elway spent 16 years with the Broncos as a QB, then 12 years as an executive and consultant. He helped Denver win three Super Bowls.

John Elway’s employment status with the Denver Broncos will not be renewed in 2023, it was announced Tuesday.

Elway joined the Broncos as general manager in 2011. In his first draft as GM, he drafted future Super Bowl 50 MVP Von Miller with the second pick of the 2011 draft. One season later, Elway helped bring fellow Hall of Fame quarterback Peyton Manning to Denver, where Manning resurrected his career. From 2011-2015, Elway and the Broncos won five straight AFC West titles and appeared in two Super Bowls.

Elway has been an instrumental part of all of the Broncos’ Super Bowl victories. Elway became the first man to win a Super Bowl as both a player and a general manager. The Hall of Famer leaves behind a legacy dotted with highs and lows, which have been magnified by the struggles Denver has had in finding a viable quarterback successor to Manning, as well as a coach who has yet to last more than three offseasons.

In 2020, Elway relinquished general manager duties to George Paton. Paton has brought in quarterback Russell Wilson, and more recently, head coach Sean Payton.

Elway’s contract as V.P. of football operations expired after the 2021 season. He then served as a consultant for the 2022 season. That consultant contract expired in March, and it won’t be renewed.

The final years of Elway’s tenure as GM were a little rocky, but he will always be remembered for what he accomplished as a QB and for later building the roster that won Super Bowl 50 with Manning.

Despite his contract not being renewed for 2023, Elway will most assuredly continue to be a familiar face around Dove Valley.

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Von Miller wants to become a GM after his playing career is over

When his playing career is over, Von Miller wants to become a general manager in the NFL.

Over the years, professional athletes have prioritized finding a career when their playing days are over. From coaching to front office positions, finding a job to transition provides a new lane for financial possibilities.

Current Buffalo Bill and long-time Denver Broncos cornerstone Von Miller still has some years left to produce at a high level, but that hasn’t stopped him from thinking about his post-playing career.

Miller has expressed his desire to become an NFL general manager numerous times in the past, and he shadowed Bills GM Brandon Bean at the combine earlier this offseason. 

Speaking with KUSA-TV’s Mike Klis on March 2, Miller discussed why becoming a general manager is his go-to career when he retires.

“This is what I want to do,” Miller told Klis. “I wanted to do this one time before in college when I took my poultry science class and I sat in that class and said If I don’t make it in the NFL and it doesn’t work out, this is what I want to do.” 

Miller attributed his track record for playing for great teams, which can help him create a great team when moving to the front office.

“So this is my second time really feeling like that,” Miller said. “It’s what I want to do. I don’t have any experience. I know what a great football team looks like. I know what a winning football team looks like. A great staff, great equipment guys, great athletic trainers. I know what that looks like, I know what it takes to build those teams but that’s it.”

Whether Miller spends the next few years on a football field or in a front office, there’s no doubt Miller will have a role with an NFL franchise for the foreseeable future. 

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George Paton still teases Sean Payton about the Minneapolis Miracle

“I still haven’t recovered from the ‘Minneapolis Miracle.’ That’s the one trump card [he has],” Sean Payton said of GM George Paton 😅

As the Denver Broncos move forward with new leadership, general manager George Paton will be working alongside head coach Sean Payton in a “collaborative” partnership in the team’s front office.

By all accounts, that partnership is off to a good start, even if Paton has mentioned the “Minneapolis Miracle” a time or two.

“I still haven’t recovered from the ‘Minneapolis Miracle,’” Payton said at the combine on Feb. 28. “That’s the one trump card [he has]. He brought up something the other day and they were just talking like, ‘Oh, do you remember when this happened?’ And I’m like, ‘You’re not talking about that right now, are you?’’’

Payton was serving as the head coach of the New Orleans Saints and Paton was serving as assistant GM and vice president of player personnel for the Minnesota Vikings for that crazy playoff game five years ago.

Paton might tease Payton about that play, but they’re on good terms.

“I’ve really enjoyed working side-by-side with Sean,” Paton said at the combine. “I thought we’ve had good chemistry together — a lot of collaboration. Since we made the trade, we’ve been off and running. Sean has put this staff together. We’ve been in draft meetings and free agent prep. [We’ve] had a lot going on in a short time, but I think we’ve accomplished a lot. … He’s been methodical throughout the process — his attention to detail. He had a vision for what he’s looking for. I felt [that] he hired a really good staff.”

Right now, Paton and Payton are busy preparing for NFL free agency, which is set to begin next week. If all goes well this offseason, Paton and Payton could soon begin creating playoff memories on the same team.

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Ad Meter Roundup: Spinoffs to feature in Super Bowl 57 commercials

These #SuperBowl ads will look familiar even if you haven’t seen them yet:

If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it, right?

Or at least make it a spinoff.

Between movies and various television shows, Big Game commercials which bring back a hint of nostalgia do a great job of hitting home. Super Bowl 57 is posed to be no different.

Ahead of the 35th year of Ad Meter’s ratings, some expect these types of adverts to fare very well in our final rankings. Do you?

RATE EVERY SUPER BOWL AD: Become an Ad Meter panelist and pick this year’s winner

Well, you’d need much more context than that to make your own estimations. Namely, you’d have to get a sneak peek at some of these types of commercials that are slated to air ahead of the 2023 game.

We’ve got you covered.

Check out these spinoff ads that will feature during Super Bowl 57:

Broncos coach Sean Payton will have ‘collaborative’ relationship with GM George Paton

Broncos coach Sean Payton will have a ‘collaborative’ relationship with GM George Paton.

Sean Payton made it clear during his introductory press conference that the most important thing he was considering for his next team was ownership and the front office, and their relationship with him as the head coach.

The Denver Broncos have an ownership group that’s led by co-owner CEO Greg Penner, and the team’s general manager is George Paton, who has been in charge of the team’s personnel decisions over the last two years.

After hiring a high-profile coach like Payton, the Broncos aren’t going to have him report directly to their GM. Instead, both Paton and Payton will report to Penner.

Paton said in December that he would have a “collaborative” relationship with the team’s next coach. Payton made a similar remark during Monday’s press conference.

“[A]t some point, someone here is going to ask, ‘Is it you or is it George drafting the players? Is it you or George cutting the team? Is it you or George?’” Payton said. “Mickey Loomis and I for 16 years — and I mean this — I can’t think of one challenging time we had relative to the roster.

“We might go into the office and discuss it. [I can’t think of] one challenging time we had relative to the draft picks. We’d go in and figure it out, and certainly, in a collaborative effort, handle that with [ownership]. That’s the greatness of the teamwork.”

Loomis, of course, was the Saints GM that worked with Payton for his entire tenure in New Orleans.

Payton said Paton has already reminded him of Loomis.

“When I arrived in New Orleans for that first day, there was no one at the airport,” the coach recalled. “What I mean by that was the only person at the airport, besides from the pilots, was Mickey at baggage claim. It was pretty raw still. I remember that day and feeling. As the day progressed, I thought, ‘I kind of like this guy,’ and I liked his personality … George and I first had a chance to meet in L.A. For the last three days, we have probably worn out the path going back and forth to each other’s offices. I feel the same way.

“I feel like I’ve got good instincts, and I feel like there’s a demeanor with him that reminds me of Mickey in a good way. [He is] very steady. I’ve always respected the teams that he’s been a part of.”

Paton and Payton have competed against each other in the past, and they spoke multiple times while the Broncos were negotiating a trade with the Saints to acquire Payton. Since the coach landed in Denver, he and Paton have continued daily conversations.

“I have spent a lot of time in his office, and he has spent a lot of time in mine,” Paton said. “Obviously, this is a honeymoon period. We have a lot of work to do, but I do think we have similar philosophies and similar visions of how to build this team. That starts today.”

Payton won’t have full control of the team’s operation, and Paton won’t have full authority, either. They’ll work together.

“There’s this myth that I’m this tyrant that has to come into the building and control everything,” Payton said. “I’m like, ‘Where are you guys getting all this stuff from?’ I might be a tyrant once in a while, though, but not a lot. Anyway, I really enjoy his company and it’s worked extremely well so far.”

So far, so good for Payton and Denver’s front office.

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GM, Netflix and Will Ferrell? The trio make a big splash ahead of Super Bowl 57 in first teaser

A trio made possible by the wonderment of Super Bowl commercials.

General Motors is back for another Super Bowl Sunday in 2023, building on the 2021 campaign that starred Will Ferrell and focused on the car brand’s electric vehicles (EVs).

That 60-second ad, titled “No Way Norway,” had a successful stretch during the Super Bowl commercial surge in ’21, placing sixth in the Ad Meter Ratings while enjoying a post-SB week that included a Replay Ratings nod for Best Comedy ad, plus tons of internet and social media conversations—including one from Norway.

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This year, one more passenger is helping guide the creative vehicle in one of the more notable initiatives that truly highlights the common cinematic theme of “life imitating art.”

Enter Netflix.

“Entertainment has a huge impact on culture. We want to make EVs famous on streaming, small and silver screens to build an EV culture through storytelling that incorporates the experiences of driving and owning an EV,” GM’s Global Chief Marketing Officer Deborah Wahl explained in a statement. “Netflix is a great partner because of the company’s compelling storytelling, commitment to sustainability and track record of sparking conversations that shape cultural trends. We are united in creating a better, more sustainable future for our world as we bring everybody in on EVs.”

Netflix’s Chief Marketing Officer Marian Lee, echoed that thinking: “At Netflix, we create shows and films that can influence culture and spark meaningful conversations,” said Lee. “From the TikTok dance trends inspired by “Wednesday” to thoughtful discussions about climate change with “Don’t Look Up,” we know that entertainment can drive fandom and inspire connections. GM is a cultural leader in the auto industry and we are proud to partner with them in their efforts by amplifying the presence of electric vehicles in our shows and films.”

General Motors. Netflix. Will Ferrell.

It’s hard to imagine such a combo, but that’s the quintessential formula for the big game ads—you never know!—and it also uncovers the worldwide demographic that will tune in on February 12…to watch the commercials.

Let’s just hope Ferrell finds a more helpful Zombie to get him back on “the 15” before then.

Watch the first teaser below.

More:

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Broncos are not firing GM George Paton

The Broncos are not firing George Paton, “whom I have confidence in as our general manager,” team owner/CEO Greg Penner said.

The Denver Broncos fired head coach Nathaniel Hackett and two other members of the coaching staff on Monday.

Many fans and pundits have suggested that general manager George Paton should be fired, too, and there’s a case to be made for it.

Paton had a role in hiring Hackett, then he traded draft picks and players for quarterback Russell Wilson this offseason, and he gave Wilson a five-year, $242.5 million contract.

Hackett and Wilson were largely responsible for Denver’s struggles this year, and Paton hired both of them.

When team co-owner/CEO Greg Penner announced Hackett’s firing on Monday, though, he made it clear that Paton will remain with the club.

“I will lead our head coaching search with support from our ownership group and George, whom I have confidence in as our general manager,” Penner said in a statement.

Paton now appears poised to receive at least one more year of grace as he attempts to clean up the mess that he helped create.

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George Paton’s trade with Lions in 2021 worked out well for Broncos

One year after getting a 5th-round draft pick from the Lions for Trinity Benson, the Broncos have the WR back on their practice squad.

The Denver Broncos signed wide receiver Trinity Benson as an undrafted free agent out of East Central University in 2019 and he spent his first two seasons in the league on the team’s practice squad.

Last year, Benson impressed during training camp and preseason, so much so that Denver would not have been able to waive him and get him back on the practice squad without another team claiming the receiver off waivers.

The Broncos also had a crowded wide receiver room, so there wasn’t room for Benson on the active roster, either.

Denver general manager George Paton then decided to turn the team’s depth at receiver into extra draft capital. During roster cuts, Paton traded Benson and a sixth-round draft pick to the Lions in exchange for fifth- and seventh-round picks.

It’s the kind of move Paton loves to make, adding extra late-round picks for a player on the roster bubble. The deal did not work out well for Detroit as Benson played in just eight games last year, catching 10 passes for 103 yards.

This summer, Benson failed to make the Lions’ 53-man roster and he was waived. After the Broncos created an open practice squad spot on Monday, the team brought Benson back on a one-year deal.

So one year after adding a higher draft pick, Paton also gets Benson back on the practice squad. That trade certainly worked out well for Denver.

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George Paton’s five best moves since becoming Broncos GM

He’s only entering his second season with the #Broncos, but GM George Paton has already made some brilliant moves.

John Elway’s reign as Denver Broncos general manager was a tale of two halves. But one of the best things he did for the franchise was helping hire George Paton to replace him.

When leaders transition, in my opinion, the best metric for success is how set up the team left behind is for future success. Hiring Paton is right up there with fellow GM Ozzie Newsome drafting Lamar Jackson in his last draft. In this exercise, we’ll examine Paton’s five best moves thus far.