Sean Payton Speaks Strongly on New Broncos Assistant GM

Less than a month after the front office was officially reorganized, Denver Broncos head coach Sean Payton gave the media a soft introduction on Reed Burckhardt, the team's new assistant general manager.

“He’s real important to our process," Payton said on June 12. "We have a good group… He’s passionate, and you have to be in that business. It can be lonely. It’s not for everyone. Hotels, laptop computer, film. He has a real good eye for talent. He’s not afraid to give you his opinion even if it’s contrary to maybe what you want to hear.”

Initially hired as Director of Player Personnel, Burckhardt enters his fourth season in Denver after defecting from the Minnesota Vikings, where he served under now-Broncos general manager George Paton.

"A former backup quarterback at South Dakota State, Burckhardt had spent the previous 13 years with the Vikings – nearly 12 of those while working with Paton – and most recently had been their director of pro scouting," 9NEWS' Mike Klis reported at the time. "Although the Vikings had overhauled most of their front office this offseason, they wanted to keep Burckhardt. Instead, he got a nice promotion from the Broncos and a chance to reunite with Paton."

Paton repeatedly praised Burckhardt's contributions to the organization in his previous capacity.

"Our pro scouting staff, led by Reed Burckhardt, they met Friday and they met for three hours, four hours together with our college scouts via Zoom, and they came up with their 53 and 16-man practice squad," he said in August 2022. "They were—Reed and [Director of Pro Scouting] A.J. Durso were the GMs then we came in and they presented. It was cool. It was totally an objective opinion without us in the room and they presented it."

Burckhardt was promoted to his current post following the departure of former Broncos assistant GM Darren Mougey, who took the New York Jets' GM position this offseason.

The shakeup was among several that occurred in Denver's front office, which also assigned AJ Durso and Cam Williams as Co-Directors of Player Personnel, Jordon Dizon as Director of Pro Scouting, Bryan Chesin as Director of College Scouting, Dave Bratten as Assistant Director of College Scouting, and Nick Schiralli as Senior Personnel Executive.