Why is John Elway leaving the Denver Broncos?
From the field to the front office, the former Broncos signal caller has been synonymous with the franchise for four decades, but now his time has come to an end.
As the saying goes, nothing lasts forever and with that we’ve now come to see the conclusion of the iconic QB’s tenure with the team he became a legend with. Indeed, the 1987 league MVP has called time on his post playing career job with the franchise, bringing to an end a longstanding relationship.
John Elway set to leave Denver Broncos
According to reports, John Elway will no longer be part of the Denver Broncos organization. It is understood that the Hall of Fame quarterback is out of contract, having seen his deal expire last month and the franchise seemingly declining to renew it. To be clear, there has been no indication that there is any bad blood between the two parties, with reports also suggesting that the outcome had been agreed on some time ago. To that end, the franchise icon has even suggested that regardless of his employment status, he will remain a resource for the franchise should they have any need of him.
“I’ve enjoyed the relationship with the Broncos for a long, long time,” Elway said on Tuesday. “I told Greg I’d be happy to be a resource for him and help in any way that I can. I just wanted the flexibility. They’re in great hands. I still plan on being around to watch and be a resource for Greg or George (Paton) if I can.”
A Perfect Match: John Elway & the Denver Broncos
When it comes to legendary quarterbacks, it goes without saying that John Elway is one. Not only was he a great player, but he enjoyed an impressively long career at the top as well having spent 16 seasons - all of them with the Broncos - in the NFL. During his time in the league, Elway was at the center of two Super Bowl wins and was even voted Super Bowl MVP on one of those occasions. Considered to be one of the best signal callers to ever play the game, Elway saw his No. 7 jersey retired by the Broncos in 1999 and was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in his first year of eligibility in 2004.
What was John Elway’s path after football ended?
Following his incomparable career, Elway quickly made his way into the Broncos’ front office, becoming the franchise’s general manager and Executive VP of football operations in 2011. It was a role he would maintain until the 2020 season, when he stepped aside to focus on the role of president of football operations which he officially took on in 2021. In 2022 the now 62-year-old took on a role as an external consultant to the organization. Incidentally, Elway was an integral part of the 2015 setup that led to a victory in Super Bowl 50.
What will the Broncos do now?
When Elway stepped away from his role as GM in 2021, it was also partly due to the emergence of the very capable George Paton. Now that he will be departing, it’s reasonable to believe that the franchise will be leaning on Paton as well as their newly appointed head coach, Sean Payton. It goes without saying that the first order of business will be do better than they did last season with their 5-12 record, which was good enough for last place in the league. At any rate, the good thing is they can still call on their main man.
“I’ll still be around as a resource,’’ Elway said. “I’ve been with the Denver Broncos for so long that it was nice to have some sort of connection which is what I wanted. I didn’t want an obligation. I’m getting a little older, I want to be able to do some things I haven’t done. I’m ready to have a flexible schedule. If there’s something I can help them with I’d do that.”