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This offseason, George Paton and Sean Payton are working to build a championship-caliber team on the field, while the Walton-Penner Ownership Group moves to build a venue worthy of hosting a Super Bowl and puts the finishing touches on a new, state-of-the-art team facility.
"The momentum is really exciting, not only for the Broncos, but for our fans across Broncos Country," Broncos Co-Owner Carrie Walton Penner said of the team's initiatives. "Our players are coming back in a few short weeks. Off the field, it's amazing to watch the momentum grow as we get ready to move into our new training facility, and we'll be doing that in just a couple of months, and then, looking at and thinking about a new stadium."
"For our football players, for them to be able to use it, and coaches and staff, I think it will just be great for the organization," Broncos President Damani Leech added, via DenverBroncos.com. "It's a tremendous credit to [Owner & CEO] Greg [Penner] and [Owner] Carrie [Walton Penner] and their investment in the organization and putting the team in a position to be successful on the field."
Denver's soon-to-be-finished training facility at Broncos Park, Powered by CommonSpirit, will certainly be a welcome addition for the players. While the Broncos have consistently scored well on the NFLPA's annual player survey, one grade that has consistently lagged behind the others has been the locker room, hence the need for an upgrade.
It's also apparent that the team prioritized the players throughout the construction process.
"It really is all about the players," Walton Penner shared. "From ground zero, the first floor, it is the players' floor. The heart of that is their locker room. It's a much bigger and enhanced locker room, but all around them, we designed it with the idea that we want our players taking as few steps as possible to get everything that they need and have access to everything they need, and really conserve their energy for getting things done on the field."
In contrast to the nearly finished team headquarters, the process of building a new stadium remains in its infancy.
"First of all, [there is] a lot of work," Broncos Co-Owner and CEO Greg Penner explained. "Carrie [Walton Penner], Damani [Leech], Tim [Aragon] and a lot of folks from our team are spending a lot of time meeting with community leaders and city council members. It’s an ambitious timeline that we have, and we won’t be able to accomplish our goals in terms of timing and getting in there just by ourselves. So it’s not just something that the Broncos are driving. We have to have a lot of support from partners and others that are involved with the site."
Listening to Penner, it sounds like the next step will be finalizing the decision to build the new stadium at Burnham Yard, which is currently labeled the team's 'preferred site.'
"Some important steps have been taken, but when we change that from 'preferred site' to 'this is the site,' we will have all of our ducks lined up and be prepared to say that we are formally moving forward with that site," Penner continued. "I’m not sure exactly when that is going to be, but hopefully sometime in the coming months."
Working with the surrounding community to get all parties on board appears to be the current focus.
"It has been really exciting to hear and learn about the history of Burnham Yard," Walton Penner said. "But we're still in listening mode right now, doing a lot of work with community members, city council, the mayor's office, [and] the governor has been a great partner and very supportive. The momentum is certainly there, and we're excited to partner across the community to make this an incredible year-round opportunity for Denver and for the organization."