Hall of Fame quarterback John Elway is a Denver Broncos lifer.
The way he joined the team might have been controversial, but he remains loyal to the franchise to this day.
He played for the Broncos from 1983 to 1998, winning Super Bowls XXXII and XXXIII before retiring.
His legendary career also includes a league MVP, a Super Bowl MVP, three Second-Team All-Pro selections, and nine Pro Bowls.
After which, he served as General Manager and Executive Vice President of Football Operations from 2011 to 2020.
In 2021, he became President of Football Operations, delegating general manager duties to George Paton.
But aside from being a Broncos player and executive, he also had a chance to become a part-owner.
If he accepted the opportunity, he could have pocketed a hefty sum after the franchise’s recent sale.
Front Office Sports tweeted, “In 1998, John Elway had a chance to buy 20% of the Denver Broncos for $36 million. He chose not to invest. Now, the team is being sold for $4.65 billion… and that 20% would be worth about $930 million.”
Elway might be forever haunted by what could have been.
He could have become a billionaire if he had the foresight to invest in his beloved team.
He would have more money than he could spend and could enjoy his retirement without the need to work again.
Instead, the bulk of the profit goes to Pat Bowlen’s family after a record-breaking transaction.
Most Expensive Sale Of A Sports Franchise, For Now
The Broncos agreed to sell the team to the Walton-Penner group for a whopping $4.65 billion.
It was more than double the Carolina Panthers’ sale price when David Tepper took over from Jerry Richardson.
The key figures of the new ownership group are Rob Walton, heir to the Walmart fortune.
His daughter Carrie and son-in-law Greg Penner are also part of the Broncos’ new ownership group.
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