Deal or no deal: John Elway’s contract situation getting unsettling

How long will the Denver Broncos drag out the contract situation with general manager John Elway? Will a deal be reached before the season?

The situation surrounding Denver Broncos general manager John Elway and his contract is getting a bit unsettling.

Of course, there’s still plenty of time to get a deal done. No deadline to get a contract hammered out has passed.

But, the fact that Elway is not working on a renewed contract at this point is unnerving with training camp just around the corner. Here are Elway’s words as of late May:

"“We’re continuing to work at it. I don’t see any problems with that. I look forward to being here with the Broncos for a long time.”John Elway, USA Today"

There’s no doubt that the Broncos want to bring Elway back for the long haul, and obviously it appears as though Elway wants to be back with the Broncos. So why is a deal not done?

Well, it may not be just as simple as Elway wanting to be the GM of the Broncos. There’s no telling what other factors are playing into this as far as some of the long-term implications of Elway with the Broncos.

Would he possibly be interested in owning part of the team? Just to be fair about it, is there anything Elway really has yet to accomplish in Denver? What’s the next step up?

As far as what he’s accomplished with the Broncos, there’s nothing left for Elway to do unless he takes part of the mantle as far as ownership is concerned. That’s currently a tough situation to navigate, though certainly Elway has a great relationship with Pat Bowlen and his family.

It was, after all, Bowlen who brought Elway back into the organization as an executive, giving him the keys to the franchise back in 2011 as far as personnel decisions.

Elway hasn’t disappointed when given a vote of confidence from Bowlen yet, so perhaps the timing is very nearly right for Elway to make a shift into ownership, or part ownership of the franchise with which he is synonymous.

Of course, as is the case with everything in Denver, this is something that would be handled with great care. The Broncos are still looking for the right partner to work with in naming the stadium for the next season of time, and there just seems to be a lot going on right now off the field that the team isn’t going to be hasty with any one decision just to jump to another.

The situation surrounding Elway is one that everyone would obviously like resolved sooner than later, but perhaps patience will prove itself the correct path once more.