Former Denver Broncos star Phillip Lindsay has found radio success in Denver

Last summer, former Broncos star running back Phillip Lindsay was 29 and felt he had some football left in him to play. So he waited by the phone for an invitation to an NFL training camp.

No team called.

“You keep hoping for a call and and it doesn’t come and you’ve worked your butt off to stay in shape,’’ Lindsay said. “It’s mentally draining.”

Eventually, Lindsay went out for a walk and set a deadline for how long he would wait for an NFL call. And if one didn’t come, he would need to move on in life. But what might he next do?

Then, as the days were winding down toward his deadline, Lindsay got a call out of the blue from Denver Sports — 104.3 The Fan (KKFN-FM).

“They were like, ‘Hey, we just want to know if you would like to come in and be interested in doing something with the radio?'" Lindsay told The Denver Gazette. “In my head, I was like, ‘I need to figure out what else to do in my life because all I’m doing is getting on the nerves of my wife (Morgan) at home.”’

So an interview was arranged with Zach Bye, a longtime and successful sports talk-show host at the station.

“We met and he shows up 15 minutes early for our appointment, and that’s uncommon for ex-pro athletes,’’ Bye said. “And he showed up in a suit with a notepad and a pen and that just really struck me. I’m like, 'This is different.'"

Lindsay went through some auditions and station officials liked what they heard. On Sept. 19, the show “The Drive with Zach Bye and Phillip Lindsay" debuted in the coveted 2-6 p.m. slot.

After 11 months on the job, Lindsay, now 30, is getting positive reviews.

“Phillip is growing right in front of me,’’ Bye said. “It’s pretty cool to see. He was very raw at the start, but he has clearly put the time in and taken the coaching. … We still have a long way to go but his growth in one year is pretty remarkable.”

Lindsay’s work has included showing up regularly to training camp at Broncos Park so he can analyze later in the day the state of the team. And he sometimes creates a stir when he is there.

After all, Lindsay starred at Denver's South High School, breaking the school rushing record that had been set by his father, Troy. Then he moved on to the University of Colorado, where he had rushing seasons of 1,252 yards in 2016 and 1,474 in 2017 and set school career records for all-purpose yards and yards from scrimmage.

Then, despite being undrafted, the 5-foot-8, 180-pound Lindsay took the NFL by storm by rushing for 1,037 yards in 2018 and 1,011 in 2019 for the Broncos. He became the first undrafted offensive rookie to make the Pro Bowl.

Lindsay rushed for 502 yards in an injury-riddled 2020 season, and the Broncos opted not to bring him back. He then struggled in NFL stints in 2021 and 2022 with Houston, Miami and Indianapolis and in the XFL with the Seattle Sea Dragons in 2023.

But memories of what he did with the Broncos early in his pro career are still fresh. At training camp, there are days when a half-dozen Lindsay jerseys are spotted on the backs of fans at Broncos Park.

“I’ve got two of these,’’ said Zach Corssmit, 14, of Littleton, who wore one at a recent practice. “I liked how he was really explosive and fast. He was one of my favorite players.”

Lindsay has drastically cut his once-bushy hair, which he said makes him a bit less recognizable. But there are still plenty of autograph seekers and well wishers who approach him.

“I’ve never seen someone at our station be more popular out at training camp,’’ Bye said. “People want to take a picture with him. One woman took off her shoe for him to sign.”

Lindsay is grateful for the support he has received and continues to get from fans.

“It feels good,’’ he said. “When I played, I was trying to put Colorado kids on the map and now these young kids know they can be the next NFL player or the next Phillip Lindsay. You don’t have to be 6-5, 280 pounds (to play in the NFL) or 5-10, 225 pounds to be a good running back …. I’m grateful that I got the opportunity. … I hope I made everybody proud when I was playing at the University of Colorado and for the Denver Broncos.”

When Lindsay first showed up at Broncos training camp last month, it was the first time he had been to one since his final Denver season of 2020. And it was the first he ever attended as a non-player.

“I was a little nervous going out there because I didn’t know what to expect,’’ Lindsay said. “But then I was peace with it. I had wanted to play a little longer (in the NFL). I had a goal of playing like seven years, but I can’t complain.”

Lindsay soon settled down to work, carefully watching what was unfolding on the field. Putting in plenty of work was something Lindsay regularly did when playing football and has continued to do as a broadcaster.

“After I got into radio, I realized this is harder than it looks," Lindsay said. “There’s a lot of time put into it. You’re dealing with not just football, but hockey, basketball, high school sports, college. So you need to know everything. So it’s really made me focus.”

Lindsay gives plenty of credit during his career transition to Bye, whom he calls “really good at what he does” and “passionate” about radio. Bye said Lindsay has been invaluable being able to provide the perspective of having played recently for the Buffaloes and Broncos.

Former Denver offensive lineman Ryan Harris, who played in the NFL from 2017-16 and then went into broadcasting, often listens to Lindsay on the air.

“Phillip’s doing great,’’ Harris said. “I like his passion and his excitement. He laughs at himself sometimes. And in broadcasting, you’re going to say a wrong name sometimes and he’s able to laugh about it and keep going. He’s doing an excellent job.”

Harris said it can be difficult at times to speak critically about players who once were teammates. Lindsay doesn’t deny that is the case.

“I think there’s a way to go about things professionally and being able to get your point across without bashing a player or putting them down,’’ Lindsay said. “But I think they understand I have a job to do.”

Lindsay had a bit of a dust-up on social media last October with wide receiver Jerry Jeudy, who played with Lindsay on the Broncos in 2020 and was with Denver last season before being traded earlier this year to Cleveland.

Lindsay wrote during a game at Chicago, “Where are the receivers!! All that money out there to be no-shows?” Jeudy responded after Denver’s 31-28 comeback win, “Glad you got to watch the game from the crib.”

“I probably should have not been that strong in how I said it,’’ Lindsay said. “But looking back, it was one of those things that easily could have been resolved by a call or a text, and, ‘Let’s talk it out.'"

The two didn’t end up discussing it. But Jeudy said earlier this month he has no ill will toward Lindsay and it “just all football talk.”

Three players remain on the Broncos from Lindsay's playing days in tackle Garett Bolles and wide receivers Courtland Sutton and Tim Patrick. Bolles is thrilled to see Lindsay’s radio gig working out.

“I’m proud of him,’’ Bolles said. “He’s one of my favorite teammates. He definitely has that voice, that fire in his voice, so a lot of people will tune into him. I wish him nothing but the best and hope he has a great career in radio.”

Lindsay said he’s definitely retired as a player and is committed to continuing to learn the ins and outs of broadcasting. He is enjoying being back regularly in Denver, where he and his wife have a 4-year-old son, Phillip, and a 1-month-old daughter in Sophia.

"If he keeps working at this pace and getting better at this pace, he'll do this job in Denver for the next 25 years, if he wants to,” Bye said.

What a difference a year has made for Lindsay after he got radio silence from NFL teams. Now he’s in radio.