How the Denver Broncos can get John Elway locked in long-term
At least when it comes to being a pro athlete, Elway has done everything there is to do. He is a Hall of Famer as a player with two championship rings. As an executive, he was the architect of both the highest scoring offense in NFL history, and arguably its most dominant defensive group ever.
His third ring represented a fork in the road of his football career where he was undoubtedly left wondering — What’s next?
With two years remaining on his contract following the Super Bowl campaign in 2015, Elway continued to re-shape the Broncos’ organization by selecting Paxton Lynch in the first round of the 2016 NFL Draft, and hiring a brand new coaching staff for 2017 after Gary Kubiak stepped down.
It seems clear that Elway is in for the long haul with moves made on the surface, but beneath are boiling contractual issues, and now every day that passes where Elway hasn’t signed on long-term, Broncos fans grow more and more restless.
So what’s next for Elway? He’s accomplished everything he can in the NFL except one — being owner or part owner of a team.
Ideally, of course, that team would be the Denver Broncos.
Since Elway is already synonymous with the state of Colorado and the city of Denver specifically, it only makes sense that after a Hall of Fame playing career and quick ascent as one of the best executives in the league he would move up the ladder.
If the opportunity in Denver does not present itself, there’s a very real possibility Elway could/would pursue other opportunities in NFL cities.
That’s a scary thought, and borderline blasphemous for Broncos fans, but it’s at least on the table until Elway signs a new contract.
As far as becoming a part owner with the Broncos, there are significant hurdles. First and foremost, Elway certainly respects the Bowlen family enough to not force this issue publicly, or even privately for that matter. With Bowlen’s health, this is an extremely delicate matter that could take a great deal of time, and Elway is definitely aware of that.
There are also other speed bumps in the way of Elway owning part or all of the Broncos, issues that could significantly complicate his contractual negotiations with the team.
Those complications sparked an idea, where Elway and the Broncos can perhaps verbally agree to ownership stake in the future, but keep him happy for the time being…