Legendary Broncos quarterback John Elway waded into one of the franchise’s great what-ifs.
Yes, the two-time Super Bowl champion quarterback said recently on the “Pardon My Take” podcast, it was a mistake not to draft Josh Allen in the 2018 NFL draft.
By then, of course, Elway was well into his decade of running the team as general manager.
The Broncos’ coaching staff had Allen up close and personal for a week at the Senior Bowl. They watched him play at Wyoming just a couple hours north of team headquarters. But they passed on the talented-but-raw passer in favor of pass-rusher Bradley Chubb at No. 5. Two picks later, Buffalo moved up and took Allen.
Despite some early rough patches, Allen’s blossomed into one of the NFL’s dominant players. Not only that, but he’s done it in a way reminiscent of Elway — a big, rugged athlete who can make plays with his legs and has a powerful arm.
“I loved him. Just didn’t work out,” Elway told the popular podcast ahead of a golf tournament in Lake Tahoe. “He was my type. That was probably my biggest mistake of my GM days was not taking Josh.”
Elway said he was playing with Allen at the tournament and he played with the two-time Pro Bowler last year, too.
“Last year I played (golf) with him and I was wondering, ‘How long is it going to take him to realize that I passed on him and took Bradley Chubb instead?’” Elway said. “And it took him 2.5 holes to bring it up.”
Allen has thrown for 4,000-plus yards each of the past four seasons, topped 35 touchdown passes three times and led the Bills to double-digit wins each of the past five years. That stretch also includes three top-five MVP finishes.
Of course, Chubb turned into a very good player in his own right, but the Broncos have not found a permanent answer at quarterback since Peyton Manning retired in 2016. That spans multiple general managers, several coaching staffs and at least that one high-profile miss in the draft.
Now coach Sean Payton and company are staging a three-man quarterback race between first-round rookie Bo Nix (No. 12 pick in April’s draft), former New York Jets first-rounder Zach Wilson and sixth-year man Jarrett Stidham.
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Originally Published: July 29, 2024 at 4:55 p.m.
