John Elway describes passing on Bills QB Josh Allen as his ‘biggest mistake’ as a GM

Former Denver Broncos executive John Elway still thinks about passing on Buffalo Bills quarterback Josh Allen in the 2018 NFL Draft.

Kyle Silagyi | Jul 29, 2024

Nov 28, 2021; Denver, Colorado, USA; Denver Broncos president of football operations John Elway before the game against the Los Angeles Chargers at Empower Field at Mile High. Mandatory Credit: Ron Chenoy-USA TODAY Sports / Ron Chenoy-USA TODAY Sports

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Buffalo Bills general manager Brandon Beane was sweating bullets on the first night of the 2018 NFL Draft.

He didn’t do a great job of hiding his desire for a franchise signal-caller ahead of the event, tipping his hand by releasing veteran passer Tyrod Tayor in the offseason. A.J. McCarron and Nathan Peterman were the sole quarterbacks on his roster entering the three-day extravaganza—Buffalo was very clearly coming out of the draft with a new franchise centerpiece.

He entered the first round with two premium picks at his disposal, the No. 12 overall pick he acquired from the Cincinnati Bengals that March and the No. 22 selection the Bills picked up from the Kansas City Chiefs the year prior. He had a blueprint in place for a draft-night deal with the Denver Broncos that would’ve launched Buffalo up to the fifth overall selection; the completion of the deal was contingent on Denver general manager John Elway’s preferred player not being available when his team went on the clock.

Elway called Beane after the Cleveland Browns selected Ohio State defensive back Denzel Ward with the fourth overall pick, letting the young executive know that his ‘guy’ was there.

The two-time Super Bowl champion’s preferred player was North Carolina State pass rusher Bradley Chubb, who was unanimously viewed as one of the better players in that year’s class. The deal’s cancellation caused Beane to scramble; he was ultimately able to swing a deal with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers to land the seventh overall pick, where he took Wyoming gun-slinger Josh Allen.

The rest, as they say, is history.

Allen has developed into one of the league’s best players throughout his six professional seasons, leading Buffalo to the postseason in five consecutive campaigns and earning NFL MVP votes in three of the last four years. He’s a human rhinoceros with a cannon for a right arm, a player who is just as likely to run over or through a defender as he is to hurl it 80 yards over their head. He’s the only player in NFL history who has totaled over 40 touchdowns in four consecutive seasons.

In layman’s terms, he’s really good at football.

Quarterback Josh Allen tosses the ball while waiting for the rest of the team to take the field. / Tina MacIntyre-Yee/Democrat and

Chubb, meanwhile, has been immensely productive when healthy to the tune of 39.5 career sacks. He’s had difficulty staying on the field consistently, however; Denver traded him to the Miami Dolphins in exchange for a significant haul midway through the 2022 season.

Chubb was by no means a bad selection, but it’s clear, in hindsight, that Allen would've made a more lasting impact on the Broncos franchise than the pass-rusher. This is why passing on the quarterback in favor of the defender is something that Elway still thinks about; during a recent appearance on Barstool Sports’ Pardon My Take podcast, Elway spoke about his decision to pass on Allen, describing it as one of his biggest regrets as an executive.

“I know, he is [my type],” Elway said. “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 Bradley Chubb instead?’ It took him two and a half holes to bring it up. And I loved him, just didn’t work out. He was my type. That was probably my biggest mistake of my GM days was not taking Josh.”

“That was probably my biggest mistake of my GM days”

-@johnelway on not drafting Josh Allen @PardonMyTake pic.twitter.com/eg1TXJpZMd
— Barstool Sports (@barstoolsports) July 29, 2024

In Elway’s defense, Denver wasn’t necessarily in the market for a quarterback at the time of the 2018 draft; the team had just given Case Keenum, who was fresh off a breakout 2017 season with the Minnesota Vikings, a rather significant contract, and immediately finding his successor wasn’t necessarily an appropriate utilization of assets given the other holes on their roster.

In hindsight, he likely should’ve grabbed Allen when he had the chance. The Bills are certainly pleased with his decision.

Don’t beat yourself up too much, John—passing on Allen likely isn’t your “biggest mistake” as a decision-maker. You did select Paxton Lynch in the first round, after all.

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