Very few have had the type of sports career that surpasses that of John Elway, who has been successful in just about every athletic venture.
Elway, of course, was a Pro Football Hall of Fame player with the Denver Broncos, winning two Super Bowls, being named both a regular season and Super Bowl MVP, and going to nine Pro Bowls. Prior to that in college, He was a Unanimous All-American on the gridiron at Stanford while also being an accomplished college baseball player who was drafted in the second round by the New York Yankees.
Elway’s athletic achievements didn’t stop once his playing days came to an end, as he was also highly successful as a football executive. He won Super Bowl 50 as the Broncos’ General Manager and EVP of Football Operations while also making another Super Bowl during his time in charge in the Mile High City. If that wasn’t enough, Elway also won an ArenaBowl as the owner/CEO of the Colorado Crush of the now-defunct Arena Football League (AFL) in 2005.
However, there’s always one game, one moment, or, in the case of a GM, one draft pick in which they wish they could have a do-over. For Elway, that moment as the Broncos’ GM came during the 2018 NFL Draft. He revealed what that moment was when talking about playing golf with the likes of Josh Allen and Trevor Lawrence during an interview on Barstool Sports’ “Pardon My Take.”
“He was my type. That was probably my biggest mistake of my GM days, was not taking Josh,” he said.
At the 2018 draft, the Broncos were coming off a 5-11 season, which was the fewest wins the team had ever had during Elway’s 11 years as general manager. They ranked 27th in scoring offense in 2017 and started three different quarterbacks—Trevor Siemian, Brock Osweiler, and Paxton Lynch—none of whom posted a winning record in their starts or had more touchdowns than interceptions.
Despite the struggles at the position—and Allen resembling Elway’s style of play in many aspects, such as mobility and a strong throwing arm—the Broncos utilized the No. 5 overall pick on pass rusher Bradley Chubb. Two spots later, the Buffalo Bills drafted Allen.
Chubb has had a star-crossed career with highs and lows that began with the career-high of 12 sacks in that 2018 rookie year. But he then tore his ACL in 2019, playing in just four games, before bouncing back with his first Pro Bowl appearance in 2020. However, in 2021, he suffered an ankle injury and missed over half of the season. He would bounce back again in 2022, making another Pro Bowl, albeit the Broncos traded him midway through the year to the Miami Dolphins. Even in a new location, Chubb couldn’t escape the injury bug, as he tore his ACL at the end of the 2023 season.
Meanwhile, Allen has been the model of consistency in Buffalo, starting every game since becoming the full-time starter in 2019. He ranks first in his draft class in passing yards, passing touchdowns, and rushing touchdowns despite being in the same class as top overall pick Baker Mayfield and two-time MVP Lamar Jackson.
Compounding the draft mistake is that Allen came out of the University of Wyoming, just 130 miles north of Denver. He was already well-known in the Denver metropolitan and would have been a huge draw for a fan base that had struggled to latch on to any player since Peyton Manning retired after the 2015 NFL season.
One could make the case that the Broncos are still feeling the effects of passing over Allen today. They’ve gone through 13 different starting quarterbacks since Manning’s retirement, from veterans like Joe Flacco and Russell Wilson to first-round draft picks of their own like the aforementioned Paxton Lynch, who was taken 26th overall in 2016. Lynch would play just five NFL games with Denver over two seasons before being released before his third year. He hasn’t played an NFL snap since, and Elway discussed why Denver drafted Lynch.
“He was athletic and could move around, but again, you never know what’s in here,” Elway said while pointing to his chest. “We thought he would be a really good fit in [then head coach Gary Kubiak’s] offense, and then, unfortunately, Gary retired after that year. So, then trying to get that mix back, unfortunately, that was one of those picks that didn’t work out.”
Even though Elway’s GM tenure with Denver ended in 2021, the Broncos’ quarterback carousel continues. But they hope it ends this year after drafting former Oregon star Bo Nix in the first round of the 2024 NFL Draft.
