Most of the Broncos success historically is tied to John Elway

When John Elway stepped down from general manager and hired George Paton, there was no talk of a future contract extension for him as the head of football operations. His contract ran through and his new role, according to sources from Mike Klis of 9News, will be an ‘outside consultant’ to Paton.

That would signal an end to a career spanning 27 years as both a player and executive with the Denver Broncos. Those 27 years also contain most of the franchises historical successes. All but one Super Bowl appearance, all three Super Bowl titles, and all but two AFC Championship Game appearances happened while Elway was inside the building.

Recent years have somewhat tarnished his reputation, but I think once people take a step back and see the whole of Elway’s career they can admit he is easily the most influential and consequential Bronco in the team’s history. Maybe you could argue him down to a close second to Pat Bowlen himself, but I would personally still put him up there at the top.

It’s going to be strange not having Elway in the mix, but all roles end or evolve. Maybe his next role will be with the next owner of the team. It has been reported he would like to be involved in whatever capacity the new owner wants. It’s clear the Broncos remain an important organization for Elway and I would think he would enjoy being a part of returning this franchise back to contention.

For now, however, it is goodbye. Thank you for the second ride, Elway. It was a good one: two more Super Bowl appearances and a really memorable 2015 championship run.

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