Denver Broncos general manager John Elway did not rule out the possibility of re-signing center Matt Paradis during his press conference at the NFL combine on Wednesday.
“We’ll have to see where Matt falls,” Elway said. “We’ve told him that we would like to have him back, but he’s coming off of a pretty significant injury. We have to evaluate that process.”
Reading between the lines, Elway may be implying that the team is willing to bring Paradis back, but only at the right price. The 29-year-old offensive lineman fractured his fibula last season and that certainly won’t give his agent any extra leverage in negotiations.
“Matt has been a great warrior for us for four years,” Elway continued. “But obviously, with the injury that he did have, that changes the thought process. We’ll have to see where that falls.”
It sounds like the Broncos are preparing to let Paradis test free agency and see what kind of interest he draws on the open market. Denver has no plans to get into a bidding war for Paradis’ services, though.
If the Broncos do lose Paradis during free agency, it wouldn’t be surprising to see the team start Connor McGovern at center and draft a young offensive lineman to develop as a possible future replacement.
