John Elway is officially no longer a consultant for the Denver Broncos.

According to 9NEWS’ Mike Klis, Elway met with new and CEO Greg Penner in March to discuss his future with the team. Elway’s consultant contract was about to expire at the time.

Elway told Penner he planned to amicably part ways with the franchise he had been a part of a combined 28 years as a player and executive.

Elway, a long-time icon in the Mile High City, told Klis on April 4 he will still be around to help Penner in any way he can:

I’ve enjoyed the relationship with the Broncos for a long, long time. I told Greg I’d be happy to be a resource for him and help in any way that I can. I just wanted the flexibility. They’re in great hands. I still plan on being around to watch and be a resource for Greg or (Broncos GM) George (Paton) if I can.

The 62-year-old Broncos great also wanted more flexibility in his schedule so he could do things he hadn’t previously done during his stints on Denver’s gridiron and front office, per 9NEWS:

I’ve been with the Denver Broncos for so long that it was nice to have some sort of connection which is what I wanted. I didn’t want an obligation. I’m getting a little older; I want to be able to do some things I haven’t done. I’m ready to have a flexible schedule. If there’s something I can help them with, I’d do that.

The Broncos acquired Elway in a shocking trade with the then-Baltimore Colts in the spring of 1983. Elway promptly helped Denver become perennial Super Bowl contenders during the memorable Dan Reeves era in the 1980s.

With Elway under center, the Broncos won four division titles, made five postseason appearances, and reached the Super Bowl three times during that decade. Elway habitually tormented the Cleveland Browns, a team the Broncos beat in consecutive AFC Championship Games in 1986 and 1987. Both games went down the wire and became known as “The Drive” and “The Fumble,” respectively.

Although Elway was denied a Super Bowl ring three times in the 1980s, he helped the Broncos win back-to-back Vince Lombardi Trophies in his final two pro football seasons in 1997 and 1998.

Elway earned nine Pro Bowl berths, three Second-Team All-Pro honors, and one Super Bowl MVP award during his iconic 16-year NFL career.

Just over five years after Elway hung up his cleats, he became a member of the Pro Football Hall of Fame in the summer of 2004. He is also a member of the Denver Broncos Ring of Fame, NFL 1990s All-Decade Team, and NFL 100th Anniversary All-Time Team. The Broncos retired his No. 7 jersey in the fall of 1999.

 

John Elway Helped the Broncos Become Super Bowl Contenders During the Peyton Manning Era in the Mile High City

After venturing into the automobile and restaurant businesses for more than a decade after his retirement, Elway served as Denver’s general manager and executive vice president of football operations from 2011 until 2020.

The Broncos promoted Elway as president of football operations for the 2021 NFL season. He served as team consultant one year later.

Denver was a juggernaut during the first five years of Elway’s career as a front office executive. When the Broncos acquired quarterback Peyton Manning from the Indianapolis Colts prior to the 2012 NFL campaign, Denver averaged 13 wins per season from 2012 to 2015.

That memorable stretch culminated in Denver’s third Vince Lombardi Trophy during the 2015 NFL season – a 24-10 victory over Cam Newton’s Carolina Panthers in Super Bowl 50 on February 7, 2016.

The Broncos have struggled since then. Denver has yet to make a postseason appearance since the franchise won its third Super Bowl trophy seven years ago.

Denver struggled despite acquiring nine-time Pro Bowl quarterback Russell Wilson last year,  The Broncos’ anemic offense was one of the reasons why they won just five games in the 2022 NFL season.

Fans of the Blue and Orange can only hope Wilson and Co. get it together in the 2023 NFL campaign.

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