DENVER — Tradition need not stand in the way of progress.

The two can co-exist. It appears the Broncos are positioned to strike this balance when selecting a stadium site.

According to The Denver Post, a series of limited liability corporations purchased at least 13 parcels of land for $153 million surrounding Burnham Yard near the South Platte River and I-25. Ten of the LLCs are connected to the Broncos’ Walton-Penner Ownership Group, per BusinessDen.

Following the money trail presents a likely conclusion: the Broncos’ next stadium will remain near downtown.

As it should.

Despite available land near the airport and the population explosion in the suburbs, downtown is where the Broncos belong.

This decision is part of the early test of the Walton-Penner group’s legacy. They have aced almost every decision since acquiring the team before the 2022 season. They fired Nathaniel Hackett, hired Sean Payton, ditched Russell Wilson, connected with alumni, added new uniforms, built new team headquarters in Dove Valley and improved the fan experience at Empower Field at Mile High.

But those are moments. This is movement — literally and figuratively. The type of choice that will define them for decades. The group seems to understand the connection between the city and the franchise.

They are the Denver Broncos. Not the Lone Tree Broncos. Or the Aurora Highlands Broncos.

This cannot be easily dismissed or ignored for a franchise that has appeared in eight Super Bowls and won three of them.

If the Broncos settle on the Burnham Yard location, the proximity to the fan base will remain strong. Draw a circle around the five-mile surrounding radius on a map and marvel at the population this includes.

Again, they are the Denver Broncos. They have been and should always be located in the city. Walk around this potential site with eyes wandering to the skyline on one side and the mountains on the other, and it drives this point home.

Understandably, a name and views will never be the reason for a billion-dollar real estate transaction. The plot of this story centers on the plot of land.

It makes no sense to start over a few miles down from the current location if there is not enough room to create a state-of-the-art stadium and entertainment district. If the new site is not optimal for fans and better for the team, why do it?

There is a way to make this happen.

If the Walton-Penner group purchases Denver Water’s 36-acre campus to the west and SRM Concrete, located on the north end, the footprint becomes bigger than the current stadium site.

There is space to go modern, for all the bells, whistles and restaurants. If it involves a retractable roof, fine.

In my experience in talking with co-owner Greg Penner, he is going to do what’s best for the Broncos, not what’s best for attracting a future Super Bowl or Final Four. In that regard, creating affordable seats in the South Stands for the crazies is highly recommended.

There is no rush. The Broncos have some time with their current lease with the Metropolitan Football Stadium District running through the 2030 season. But flexibility only stretches so far on a project that will require years to finish.

That is why it is impossible not to track the bread crumbs of the recent transactions and extrapolate their meaning.

There are neighborhood and sports saturation concerns about relocating to Burnham Yard that deserve consideration, but too many to list in this column. There is also the issue of funding. Will the ownership group ask for taxpayer money as the franchise did to build Empower Field at Mile High? Will they seek public investment from a city government that is staring down serious budget issues and potential layoffs?

And the question on everyone’s mind when looking at the aerial view of the Burnham Yard site: Where the (bleep) are 75,000 fans going to park?

It would likely involve some concrete gymnastics featuring a few stadium lots to preserve the tailgate experience and a host of underground spaces and garages associated with the entertainment district. Wherever the Broncos’ new stadium goes, there will be fundamental changes with fewer people barbecuing on the pavement given the number of food and beverage options available.

Burnham Yard is not perfect. But no location is. The airport is in Kansas. We can all agree we don’t need a connection to the hated Chiefs. And there are not a lot of available road arteries to reach a potential Aurora site. Lone Tree is cool, but would it have the infrastructure to support nearly 100,000 folks descending on the area?

The Walton-Penner group has sought feedback from season-ticket holders for months, taking their survey results seriously. The owners have shown a knack for doing the right things.

Keeping the Denver Broncos downtown would continue this trend.

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