John Elway has had a decorated career with the Denver Broncos, not only as a Hall-of-Fame quarterback but when he was the team’s general manager as well.
After his recent appearance on the Pardon My Take podcast discussing the biggest regret of his GM tenure, let’s revisit his five best and worst decisions as their lead executive.
John Elway’s 5 Best Moves as Broncos GM
5) Trading Away Tim Tebow
As popular as “Tebow Time” was, it became short-lived in the Rocky Mountains.
There were reports that Elway wasn’t convinced about Tebow’s passing mechanics. Denver, though, became galvanized by Tebow as they made a late charge to the playoffs at 8-8, then stunned the Pittsburgh Steelers in the AFC Wildcard opener.
10 years ago today, Tim Tebow and Demaryius Thomas connected on this iconic play in overtime to give the Broncos a playoff victory over the Steelers 💙🧡
(via @nflthrowback) pic.twitter.com/BCp4e7r0kg
— SportsCenter (@SportsCenter)
But dealing away Tebow proved to elevate the Broncos — as Denver went 13-3 the following year with Peyton Manning and lost no more than four regular-season games in each season with him.
4) Hiring Gary Kubiak As Head Coach
While the Broncos went to the Super Bowl with John Fox, Elway and Co. made the bold move to fire him after falling to the Indianapolis Colts, 24-13, in the Divisional Round of the 2014 playoffs.
Elway went with an old friend from his Broncos playing days to take over in Gary Kubiak, who previously produced three winning seasons with the Houston Texans (including a 12-4 mark in 2012).
Kubiak’s first season as head coach resulted in Denver’s last Super Bowl title.
3) Drafting Von Miller
Miller will go down as one of the smartest draft moves Elway ever made.
Elway and Denver wasted little time in getting the Texas A&M star, standing pat at No. 2 overall in the 2011 NFL Draft and selecting Miller. The rest is history.
Miller went on to win Defensive Rookie of the Year honors and play in eight Pro Bowls as a Bronco. However, his biggest award was winning Super Bowl 50 MVP honors.
2) 2014 Free Agent Signings
Elway couldn’t bear to stomach how awful his defense looked against the Seattle Seahawks in Super Bowl 48. After that 43-8 shellacking in New York City, Elway went straight to addressing the defense.
DeMarcus Ware, a seven-time Pro Bowl pass rusher with the Dallas Cowboys, signed a three-year, $30 million deal with Denver. Cornerback Aqib Talib, fresh off his first Pro Bowl nod with the New England Patriots, also joined the Broncos.
Those additions helped improve a defensive unit that ranked 19th in yards allowed per game the previous year to third-best in 2014. Eventually, they became the best defense in the NFL, playing a pivotal role in the Broncos’ Super Bowl win in 2015.
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Ware and Talib, however, weren’t the only notable free-agent additions Elway made that year. To replace Eric Decker, who departed for the New York Jets, Elway signed former Steelers WR Emmanuel Sanders.
Sanders found immediate success in Denver, posting career highs in every statistical category in his first season with the Broncos. He went on to play five-and-a-half seasons in Denver and turned out to be an upgrade from Decker alongside Demaryius Thomas.
1) Signing Peyton Manning
This move will forever rank as the biggest gamble that paid off for Elway and the Broncos.
Denver was fresh off an AFC Divisional round run with Tebow. However, Elway still believed an upgrade was needed in order for the Broncos to win another Super Bowl, so he went after the newly released future Hall of Famer. What made this so risky? Manning was coming off neck surgery and was 36 years old at the time.
Manning went on to take Denver to two more Super Bowls, winning Super Bowl 50 in his last NFL game. Elway rolled the dice by luring in the legend, and it paid off in a major way.
John Elway’s 5 Worst Moves as Broncos GM
5) Signing Ja’Wuan James
This move didn’t just involve a draft bust — a rare grievance lawsuit followed as well.
In 2019, Elway inked the offensive tackle to a four-year, $51 million deal, including $32 million in guaranteed money. At the time, many were perplexed by the move, wondering why Elway would hand out that much money to a left tackle who had a rather injury-riddled career with the Miami Dolphins.
James started just three games for Denver. He sat out 2020 due to the threat of coronavirus. Then, in the 2021 offseason, James tore his Achilles at an off-site training facility. James filed a grievance seeking $15 million, as he claimed his injury cost him $9.85 million in guaranteed salary (plus his $5 million salary for 2022). Denver’s counterargument was that his injury guarantee only applied to ailments sustained inside the Broncos’ facility. The two sides ultimately settled, with James receiving $1.09 million.
Nevertheless, James’ contract goes down as one of the biggest blunders of Elway’s GM career.
4) Signing Case Keenum
Elway took a swing by acquiring the starting QB from the Minnesota Vikings‘ run to the 2018 NFC title game.
However, Keenum never replicated the success he had in the Twin Cities. He finished with a 6-10 record as a starter, throwing just 18 touchdowns and 15 interceptions.
One year after signing Keenum to a two-year, $36 million contract, Elway and the Broncos gave up on him. After the season, they ended up trading Keenum and a seventh-round pick to Washington for a sixth-round pick.
3) Trading for Joe Flacco
Back in 2019, Elway clearly thought adding a past Super Bowl-winning QB in Flacco would recreate the same magic they had with Manning.
However, while Flacco was a champion with the Baltimore Ravens, he had a one-year stay in Denver.
Flacco started only eight games and produced a dismal 2-6 mark as a starter. He threw for just 864 passing yards, six touchdowns, and five interceptions. His season officially ended on Oct. 27, 2019, with a neck injury that sidelined him for the rest of 2019. After Denver released him with a failed physical designation, he eventually joined the Jets.
2) Trading Up for Paxton Lynch
This isn’t Elway’s biggest QB blunder in the draft, but we’ll get to that in a moment.
Lynch came into the league with rare 6’7″ height for a passer and came equipped with an intriguing arm — two traits that helped persuade Elway to trade up for him. Elway wound up taking Lynch at No. 26 overall in the 2016 NFL Draft.
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However, Lynch’s career was short-lived, as he lasted just two seasons with the Broncos. And one notable QB whom Elway passed on for Lynch? Dak Prescott, who dropped all the way to No. 135 but has since become a three-time Pro Bowler for the Cowboys.
1) Drafting Bradley Chubb Over Josh Allen
Elway admits that he regrets passing on Allen, stating this was “my biggest mistake in my GM days.”
John Elway biggest regret is not drafting Josh Allen@draftkings #Dkpartner pic.twitter.com/dbXyNVD5vx
— Pardon My Take (@PardonMyTake)
Back in 2018, Denver and Elway held the No. 5 pick and had a need for quarterback but also had a chance to bolster the defense. Baker Mayfield and Sam Darnold were already off the board ahead of the Broncos’ pick. Denver ultimately selected Bradley Chubb out of NC State at fifth overall.
Allen, the No. 7 overall pick, has since turned the Buffalo Bills into a consistent AFC East champion. Chubb did make two Pro Bowls, but he’s now on the Dolphins after Elway traded him in 2022.
