ENGLEWOOD, Colo. — The Broncos' success, undoubtedly, makes the ending more difficult.
"Obviously, it's been a tough couple days, [a] tough end to the season," General Manager George Paton said Tuesday. "It's never easy, but this is extra tough because we got so close."
The Broncos' three-point loss in the AFC Championship Game marked a sudden close to an impressive season. Denver earned its first division championship in a decade, tied a franchise record for regular-season wins and captured the No. 1 seed in the AFC. In Sunday's snow-covered battle against the New England Patriots, the Broncos came achingly close to the ninth Super Bowl appearance in franchise history.
And yet, a gut-wrenching loss offers the Broncos yet another opportunity to respond.
They did it in 2023, as they rebounded from a 50-point loss to the Dolphins to win seven of their next 10 games and vault themselves back in the playoff race. They did it a season ago, responding from a heartbreaking, last-second loss in Kansas City to win four consecutive games en route to securing their first playoff berth since 2015.
Entering 2026, they'll get their latest chance to rise from defeat.
"We're in this industry, [and] you're going to get punched and have some tough losses," Head Coach Sean Payton said Tuesday. "It happened in Kansas City … and we responded.
"… That can't discourage you from coming back, or you're never going to taste [success]."
The return, of course, is a new challenge. It's not as simple as the Broncos picking up from where they left off when they return this spring. They'll have to put in the work and earn everything again. They'll start at the beginning of the proverbial race, as Payton noted Tuesday.
"I will not use that [phrase] 'Take the next step,'" Payton said. "You go back to the start of the race. [All] 32 teams have to go back and meet their parents, eat their oranges and get ready to start again. That's really important."
But heading into the offseason, there are things the Broncos can bring with them into a new season — including the experience they gained across 2025.
"Now, we do that with more resources," Payton said of entering the offseason. "We do that without [a significant] dead cap [hit]. We do that with a foundation in place. We do that with optimism and confidence from the journey we've been on. I think that's important."
Payton described the increase in salary-cap space as "significant" and compared it to having an increased home-decorating budget. He credited the Broncos' resilience in dealing with the restrictions over the last two years, but he also emphasized the need to continue to operate prudently as Denver enters the offseason.
"It's still important that we evaluate wisely, we draft wisely, we make these decisions regarding free agency with well thought-out plans, and we go from there," Payton said.
Paton echoed that sentiment of the Broncos being "sound and prudent" in the offseason, but he also acknowledged the importance for the Broncos to take strides.
"We're always going to push it, and we're going to push it this year," Paton said. "All these other teams are pushing it. … So, we have to be on our game, we have to make really good decisions. We're going to be aggressive."
There's plenty of work that must take place before the Broncos ever play another game. Denver will evaluate its own roster before free agency and the NFL Draft arrives. The offseason program and training camp are critical steps en route to the Broncos' next opportunity. But when the 2026 season does arrive, the Broncos will look to once again respond.
"You learn, [and] you have to move forward," Paton said. "You look at the things that we did — all the positive things that we did — and you build on that."
