Was John Elway happy handing the Kansas City Chiefs the Lombardi Trophy on Sunday night? The answer isn’t that simple: he wasn’t willing to, but he had no choice.
Being a legendary Denver Broncos player had a part to play. The Super Bowl organizers invited Elway to present the trophy to the Chiefs after they beat the San Francisco 49ers 25-22. He was on the sidelines throughout the night, perhaps reliving some of his glory days.
When the time arrived to give Patrick Mahomes the Lomabrdi, he proceeded with a smile. The 63-year-old later admitted that he wasn’t too keen on letting go of it. On top of it, the irony is that the stadium they were in—Allegiant Stadium—is the home ground of the Las Vegas Raiders.
With one stone, the Chiefs rubbed the noses of both of their AFC West rivals. No wonder Elway, while appearing on the Adam Schefter podcast, was having second thoughts. Not because he was a Bronco for life, but also because he was rooting for the 49ers to win the game.
Elway told Schefter:
I didn’t think about being in the Raiders home field. [And] I was really hoping for, obviously, good friends with [the 49ers GM] John Lynch and [the 49ers head coach] Kyle Shanahan. I was really rooting for them. But it was a tremendous game, and the Chiefs played great. I’d much rather have given it to the 49ers. John Elway said
John Elway said the Super Bowl brought back memories
The Broncos drafted Elway as the first overall pick after declining to play for the Baltimore Colts in 1983. He was part of the ‘Class of 83’ in which six quarterbacks were drafted in the first round. Elway went to play at Mile High for 16 years, winning two Super Bowls. Later inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2004.
During the interview with Schefter, the Stanford alumnus praised the Chiefs quarterback for leading the team to their third Super Bowl in five years. Elway claimed the 28-year-old would be one of the best to ever play football.
He said, as per the Kansas City Star:
Mahomes came through for them, and so it was good to see him up there. I think he’s going to be one of the greatest greats of all time. John Elway added
Seeing all the glitz and glamour and cameras flickering all over the stadium reminded him of his own era.
John Elway said:
It’s been a long time since I’ve been back down on the field, especially at a Super Bowl. So, it was really kind of fun. John Elway continued
Another season has ended, and now all the focus will be on renewing player contracts. After that, there was the 2024 NFL Draft. Despite an atrocious start last year, the Broncos recovered to finish 8-9 but missed out on the playoffs for another season. They currently hold the 12th overall pick, and as per the mock draft, they could land CFP champion JJ McCarthy in the quarterback spot.
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