Elway’s ‘Biggest’ Mistake as Broncos GM: Passing on NFL All-Pro Quarterback in Draft

Getty Denver Broncos general manager John Elway.

This probably falls directly in the category of all-time “now you tell us” moments.

Former Denver Broncos general manager and Hall of Fame quarterback John Elway went on the Pardon My Take podcast on July 29 and reflected on his worst moment in his tenure as general manager from 2011 to 2022.

The moment came in the 2018 NFL draft, when Elway decided to go against his instincts and take North Carolina State defensive end Bradley Chubb with the No. 5 overall pick instead of Wyoming quarterback Josh Allen.

Allen went No. 7 overall to the Buffalo Bills and has been regarded as one of the NFL’s best quarterbacks for most of his career. Allen earned NFL All-Pro honors in 2020, is a two-time Pro Bowler and set the NFL single-season record for quarterbacks with 15 rushing touchdowns in 2023.

The Bills have made the playoffs for five consecutive seasons headed into 2024. The Broncos haven’t made the playoffs since winning the Super Bowl following the 2015 season and haven’t had a winning record since 2016.

“Last year I played (golf) with (Allen) and I’m wondering, ‘How long is it going to take him to realize that I passed on him and took Bradley Chubb instead?’ And it took him two and a half holes,” Elway said on PMT. “”And I loved him. But it just didn’t work out. He was my type. That was probably my biggest mistake of my GM days, was not taking Josh.”

Elway’s History of Drafting Quarterbacks

Chubb played 4 1/2 seasons in Denver and was hurt almost all the time, missing 26 games in his time there before being traded to the Miami Dolphins halfway through the 2022 season.

Elway may have been trying to emulate his early success as a general manager when he decided to take Chubb. Elway’s first big move when he was put in charge of the Broncos was to take Texas A&M outside linebacker Von Miller with the No. 2 overall pick in the 2011 NFL draft. Miller was a 7-time NFL All-Pro and 8-time Pro Bowler for the Broncos and won Super Bowl MVP honors in Super Bowl 50.

And while he might lament not picking Allen, it’s not like Elway didn’t draft plenty of quarterbacks during his time running the Broncos. He just never picked any good ones.

Elway selected six quarterbacks in the draft during his tenure; Brock Osweiler (2012, second round), Zac Dysert (2013, seventh round), Trevor Siemian (2015, seventh round), Chad Kelly (2017, seventh round), Drew Lock (2019, second round) and one first-rounder, taking Memphis’ Paxton Lynch with the No. 26 overall pick in 2016.

Lynch went 0-4 as the starter in two seasons before he was released.

The Broncos have started 11 different quarterbacks since 2018.

Who Will Start at Quarterback for Broncos in 2024?

Denver drafted a quarterback in the first round for the first time since Lynch in 2016 when they selected Oregon quarterback Bo Nix at No. 12 overall in the 2024 NFL draft.

Nix is in a three-way battle with veteran quarterback Jarrett Stidham and 2021 No. 2 overall pick Zach Wilson to be the starter, though appears to have the inside track after setting the FBS record with 61 career starts over five seasons at Auburn and Oregon.