John Elway, quarterback: 16 seasons (1983-1998)
Who else would it be but Mr. Bronco himself?
John Elway spent his entire legendary career with the Broncos, retiring following the team’s second Super Bowl win in a row after the 1998 season. But Elway was never supposed to play in Denver.
Drafted No. 1 overall by the Baltimore Colts in the 1983 draft, Elway refused to play there and forced a trade. That trade ended up putting him in Denver, where he would play for the next 16 seasons.
During that time, Elway became one of the best quarterbacks the league had ever seen. He took the Broncos to the Super Bowl five times, winning twice. He was the MVP of the league in 1987, and was one of the best fourth-quarter comeback quarterbacks to ever step on the field and the cannon he had for an arm is something that is still talked about around these parts.
Elway went to the Pro Bowl nine times and he is still generally on a short list of the best quarterbacks of all time. All of this took place before his second career inside the Broncos’ front office, where he helped build another Super Bowl champion.
John Elway is the Denver Broncos in many respects so it’s only fitting that he was the player that played for the team in more seasons that anyone else.