Broncos Make Intriguing Change to John Elway's Role in Front Office

Updated: Sep 10, 5:00pm UTC

John Elway is one of the most iconic figures in Denver Broncos history. After the former quarterback captured two Super Bowls with the Broncos in the 1990s, Elway served as the organization's general manager from 2011 to 2020, before taking over as the president of football operations in 2021.

It was announced on Feb. 1 that the Pat Bowlen Trust revealed the Broncos were officially up for sale, leaving Elway's future with the organization up in the air. Fortunately, Denver is bringing him back for the 2022 NFL season, albeit under an intriguing new role.

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KUSA's Mike Klis reported Sunday that Elway will stick around as outside consultant to Broncos general manager George Paton in 2022. The former Denver QB wants to stick around under the new ownership as well, so his new role will be one way for him to prove his worth.

The Broncos signed Elway to a five-year extension in 2016 to make him the league's highest-paid general manager. Unfortunately, the teams that he constructed failed to meet expectations over that span.

Denver has failed to make the playoffs in the extension's five seasons, amassing a 30-51 record (.370 winning percentage) over that span. While the defense has been solid in recent years, Elway's inability to field a credible offense has resulted in many shortcomings.

The good news is that Elway and Paton have nine 2022 NFL Draft picks to work with, as well as nearly $40 million in cap space to spend during free agency. If the two can use their resources to strike gold, Denver could go on a Super Bowl run next season, giving the new owners a reason to bring them back.

The Broncos currently have +2200 odds (No. 9) to win Super Bowl LVII next season, according to FanDuel Sportsbook.

Devon Platana is not a FanDuel employee. The views expressed in his articles are the author's alone and do not necessarily reflect the views of FanDuel.