John Elway admits that not selecting quarterback Josh Allen in the 2018 NFL draft was likely his most significant error as the general manager of the Denver Broncos.
“I played [golf] with him last year and couldn’t help but think, ‘When is he going to realize that I chose Bradley Chubb over him?’ It took him about two and a half holes to figure it out,” Elway shared during a recent guest appearance on Barstool Sports’ Pardon My Take podcast. “I really liked him, but it just didn’t pan out. He fit my vision. Not taking Josh was probably my biggest mistake during my time as GM.”
Elway overlooked the strong-armed quarterback, who had a completion rate of 56% during his two starting seasons in the challenging winds of Wyoming.
Instead, using the fifth overall draft pick that year, Elway chose Chubb, a pass rusher from North Carolina State, who struggled to maintain his health in Denver and was eventually traded to the Miami Dolphins.
Having just acquired Case Keenum after his breakout campaign in Minnesota, Elway was also wary from a prior first-round selection of another tall, strong QB from a lesser college.
Shortly after celebrating the franchise’s third Super Bowl victory, Elway selected Paxton Lynch from Memphis with the 26th overall pick in the 2016 NFL draft—a choice that became the worst of his decade-long oversight of the Broncos’ roster. Lynch was beaten out twice by seventh-round pick Trevor Siemian and only started four games before being released in 2018.
The combination of drafting Lynch and passing on Allen initiated a prolonged decline for the once-celebrated franchise, which has not reached the playoffs since its Super Bowl win after the 2015 season.
The Broncos have cycled through 13 different starting quarterbacks since Peyton Manning’s retirement, and that tally may increase this season unless veteran Jarrett Stidham can outlast rookie Bo Nix and reclamation project Zach Wilson in a competitive three-way quarterback competition.
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Elway, who concluded his Hall of Fame playing career with consecutive Super Bowl victories in the late 1990s, returned to the franchise in 2011 as director of player personnel. The following year, he became the executive vice president of football operations, replacing Tim Tebow with Manning, who guided Denver to two Super Bowls during his four years with the team.
Elway achieved a record of 64-26 in his first five seasons at the helm but faced a decline with a 32-48 record in his last five years before stepping away after the 2020 season.
