John Elway stepped down from his general manager post after the 2020 season but retained a title as the Broncos’ president of football operations. The Hall of Fame quarterback and Super Bowl-winning GM will shift to a new role in 2022.
Elway will serve as an outside consultant to GM George Paton going forward, Mike Klis of 9News notes. Elway signed a five-year extension in 2017, one that made him the NFL’s highest-paid GM at the time, but that deal has now expired.
Late owner Pat Bowlen brought Elway back to the Broncos shortly after the franchise’s ignominious Josh McDaniels stretch, and the team immediately bounced back with five straight AFC West titles and two Super Bowl berths. The team’s fortunes changed after Peyton Manning‘s 2016 retirement, with Elway’s inability to land a successor largely defining his final five seasons as GM. He led the way to hire Paton from the Vikings and will now offer input during the latter’s second offseason leading the front office.
This news comes not long after the Broncos went on the market. Elway, 61, is interested in being part of the team’s next ownership group. Manning has been linked to being part of a separate ownership group.
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