Broncos GM is a step away from losing one of the franchise’s most important and underrated employees
Broncos general manager George Paton has built one of the NFL’s better front offices and he might have to watch his top lieutenant leave for a promotion that any front office assistant would love to receive.
The Denver Broncos have quickly turned things around under general manager George Paton and he, along with his front office staff, have proven to be one of the better FOs in the NFL.
Well, Paton’s bunch is on the verge of taking a big hit: Per Sports Illustrated’s Albert Breer, assistant general manager Reed Burckhardt is undertaking a second interview for the Minnesota Vikings general manager position this week. Burckhardt is one of five finalists that include current Vikings interim general manager Rob Brzenzinski, Buffalo Bills assistant GM Terrance Gray, Los Angeles Rams assistant GM John McKay, and Seattle Seahawks assistant GM Nolan Teasley.
Previous reports stated Burckhardt’s participation in Round 2 of the cycle, but they didn’t specify his “finalist status”. Meaning, Paton could be looking to fill his shoes by the end of this week.
Burckhardt has become Paton’s right-hand man over the last couple of offseasons. He’s been with Paton since, ironically enough, they were both in Minnesota. That lasted for 13 years, which is obviously plenty of time to not only forge a strong work relationship, but a strong personal one, as well.
“Their fundamentals of what they believe in — from building a football team, from what makes a good football player — are totally aligned,” Burckhardt said via the Denver Post. “And I would say, me being with George … I’m totally aligned. And then, so subsequently, our staff’s totally aligned.
“And so, it’s just, once we get that — then you feel like you’re building something.”
Per the Bronco’s website, Burckhardt was promoted to assistant GM in 2025 “after spending the previous three seasons as Denver’s director of player personnel. Before his time with the Broncos, he spent 13 seasons with the Minnesota Vikings as the director of pro scouting, assistant director of pro scouting, pro scout, area scout, BLESTO scout, personnel department assistant and operations intern.”
Notable players drafted during Reed Burckhardt’s time with the Broncos
As mentioned above, Burckhardt has been with the Broncos for four seasons entering 2026. Below are some notable names drafted over that span in chronological order:
- DL Nik Bonitto
- C Luke Wattenberg
- WR Marvin Mims
- CB Riley Moss
- QB Bo Nix
So, if Burckhardt has an impressive interview, we could get our answer as soon as this week. Either way, we’ll know soon enough whether or not Paton will have to begin searching for a new assistant GM.