John Elway Officially Back As A Bronco

Step one of the Broncos’ “Rebuild for a Super Bowl” process is complete. In fact, the first step includes making the Broncos leader from the past two Super Bowls the team was in third in command only behind Pat Bowlen and Joe Ellis.

John Elway signed his John Hancock on the dotted line last night. Even though no i’s needed to be dotted and no t’s needed to be crossed, it’s official nonetheless. John Elway is the Broncos Vice President of Football Operations.

"“John Elway’s leadership, competitiveness and passion for the Denver Broncos will position this team for long-term success through his work leading our football operations,” Broncos Owner and CEO Pat Bowlen said. “John has won championships as both a player and executive, and his experience will be a valuable addition to this franchise. He is the perfect fit for this role, and I am excited to welcome him back to the Denver Broncos.” – Denver Broncos"

With this move, the team also announced that Joe Ellis would be promoted to President of the club. Owner Pat Bowlen will maintain his hands-off approach, allowing Ellis, Elway, and Brain Xanders to make the day-to-day decisions.  Bowlen is still the team’s CEO.

The team said that Brian Xanders will continue as the GM. He will work closely with Elway as the team begins its search for a new coach. These two men will also be in charge of scouting for the draft and bringing in free agents in the offseason.

With the Broncos restructuring their front office, it will allow the incoming head coach to be more focused on football.

One thing that Joe Ellis said after Josh McDaniels was fired was that McDaniels perhaps had too much on his plate. The young first-time head coach was primarily responsible not only coaching, but for scouting and developing the roster. Now, the new Broncos coach will have Elway to help develop the roster while he puts all of his energy towards coaching.

Most teams in the league have a front office that handles roster development, but the Broncos had kept their Mike Shanahan front office alignment even after he left which put the big responsibility on McDaniels.

Bringing Elway back is a good move not only to ease the pressures on the new head coach, but to build the confidence of the Broncos’ fanbase. Elway is invested in the Broncos in a way that not many can match. After playing 16 seasons for the team and winning two Super Bowls, this team is in no better hands than a Hall of Fame quarterback.

Welcome back, Elway!

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