The Denver Broncos will be hiring a new general manager this offseason.
According to ESPN’s NFL Insider Adam Schefter, John Elway is taking an elevated role with the team and will hire a general manager, giving him final say on personnel. Elway will stay on as the President of Football operations while the general manager works closely with head coach Vic Fangio.
Fangio will now be involved with the hiring process of find the next general manager of the Broncos.
According to James Palmer of The NFL Network, the new general manager will have final say on free agency, the draft, and the roster.
John Elway’s right hand man Matt Russell could be a candidate for the vacancy, but he has decided that he will retire to spend more time with his family. Russell will also assist in helping the organization find their next general manager.
Elway had the following to say during his press conference on Monday afternoon:
“I thought it was the right time. I think that with the opportunity that [President and CEO] Joe [Ellis] gave me to move up and looking at the last 10 years, I knew that there was going to be a time at some point in time that this is the position I was hoping to move to. He gave me the opportunity to move up, and I think it’s the right time for me with everything that’s gone on this year and being 60 years old. There are some other things in life that I’d like to do, but I’d still like to be involved in football. It’s a great opportunity for me to be able to move up still, talk with [Head Coach] Vic [Fangio] as well as the new GM, be a part of the big decisions and be able to give my thoughts and my experience and hopefully come out with the best decision there.”
Broncos President Joe Ellis also released the following statement:
John Elway is the most important and impactful person in the history of the Denver Broncos. I have nothing but gratitude for how he accepted this challenge 10 years ago and helped us accomplish great things as an organization. In recent weeks, he and I have had a number of very positive — and honest — conversations about improving the team as well as his own future. John arrived at this decision, and I am fully supportive of him and this new structure. With all of his experience and competitive fire, I know John will be a tremendous resource for the Broncos in this role.
Denver will now be one of seven organizations looking to hire a new general manager. Some names that jump out and have connections with the Broncos are Adam Peters of the 49ers, former Houston Texans general manager Rick Smith, and even Champ Kelly, who is currently with the Chicago Bears.
Adam Peters is the Vice President of Player Personnel for the San Francisco 49ers. Peters spent time with the Broncos from 2009-2016. Peters started off as a regional scout for Denver and moved his way up to director of college scouting. Peters is highly valued in the NFL and has been requested to interview with other teams as well.
Rick Smith is an interesting option as well since he spent time in Denver as director of player personnel for the Broncos from 2000-2005. Smith was then hired by the Houston Texans as their general manager from 2006 and 2017. Smith is known for drafting guys like Deshaun Watson, J.J. Watt, and even DeAndre Hopkins.
Champ Kelly is another name to watch out for after he was with the Broncos from 2007-2014. Kelly started off as a scout and worked his way up to assistant director of pro personnel. Kelly then joined the Chicago Bears in 2015 as the director of pro scouting and is now currently the assistant director of pro personnel for Chicago. Kelly has a connection with Fangio after spending time with him in Chicago. According to Ian Rapoport of The NFL Network, Kelly interviewed for the Jets last year.
Another sleeper name to watch out for is John Spytek of the Buccaneers. Spytek has worked with John Elway, Gary Kubiak, Tom Heckert, Andy Reid, and even Mike Holmgren. Spytek worked as a scout for the Broncos from 2013 through the Super Bowl 50 victory.
Elway spent 10 years with the Broncos as the team’s general manager and top executive. ‘Number 7’ was the reason why the greatest NFL free agent of all-time, Peyton Manning, signed with Denver. Under Elway’s guidance, the Broncos won one Super Bowl, two AFC Championships, five-straight division titles, and finished with an overall record of 90-70.
Perhaps Elway’s most impressive accomplishment as Broncos GM was the fact that he built the Broncos into the greatest offense in NFL history in 2013 (they won the AFC Championship, but lost to the Seattle Seahawks in the Super Bowl), then two years later completely re-worked the team’s roster, making them into one of the most iconic defensive teams in league history, which ultimately led them to victory over the Carolina Panthers in Super Bowl 50.
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