John Elway Reveals Biggest Regret From Tenure As Broncos' GM

Pro Football Hall of Famer John Elway said his decision to pass on fellow quarterback Josh Allen in the 2018 NFL Draft is the biggest regret of his tenure as the Denver Broncos ' general manager.

Elway, who holds every Broncos career passing record, was asked about passing on Allen during the latest episode of Barstool Sports ' Pardon My Take podcast released on Monday (July 29), with co-hosts PFT Commenter and Dan ' Big Cat ' Katz both acknowledging that Allen had all the attributes of a quarterback Elway would typically target during his executive career.

"Last year I played [golf] with him and I'm wondering, 'How long is it going to take him to realize that I passed on him and took [linebacker] Bradley Chubb instead?' And it took him two and a half holes," Elway said during the interview recorded at the American Century Championship charity golf tournament earlier this month. "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."

Allen has since emerged as one of the league's best quarterbacks, leading the Buffalo Bills to four consecutive AFC East Division titles and five consecutive playoff appearances. The Broncos have struggled to find consistency at quarterback, having started 10 different players at quarterback since 2018, as well as missing the playoffs every year since their Super Bowl 50 win in February 2016.

Elway went 64-26 during his first five seasons as an executive, which included signing Pro Football Hall of Fame quarterback Peyton Manning as a free agent in 2012 and the Super Bowl 50 victory, but finished his tenure with a 32-48 record during his final five seasons.