Mile High Huddle

Elway: Passing on Josh Allen 'Biggest Mistake' as Broncos GM

Many in Broncos Country would agree.

Zack Kelberman

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
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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Former Denver Broncos czar John Elway bemoaned his ill-fated decision to select outside linebacker Bradley Chubb over quarterback Josh Allen with the fifth overall pick in the 2018 NFL draft.

During a recent appearance on the Pardon My Take podcast, the Hall-of-Fame gunslinger admitted that bypassing Allen was his "biggest mistake" amid his decade-long reign as Denver's chief executive.

"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?' And it took him two-and-a-half holes," Elway recalled. "And I loved him. But it just didn't work out. He was my type. That was probably my biggest mistake of my GM [general manager] days, was not taking Josh."

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There really isn't an argument otherwise. Chubb, despite a perennial Pro Bowl-caliber ceiling, never earned a second contract from the Broncos, which in 2022 washed its hands of the oft-injured defender by trading him to the Miami Dolphins.

Meanwhile, Allen — chosen two picks after Chubb — went on to become one of the league's elite (and highest-paid) QBs with the Buffalo Bills. Enough said. No further context needed.

This, at a time when Denver cycled through a litany of failed Elway experiments (Case Keenum, Joe Flacco, Drew Lock, Teddy Bridgewater), only cemented his miss among the worst in franchise history.

It wasn't immediately apparent. It in fact began quite the opposite, as Allen took a few years to break out while Chubb notched a still-career-best 12-sack rookie campaign.

But now, with the power of hindsight, it's beyond clear. To fans and players alike.

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Zack Kelberman
ZACK KELBERMAN

Zack Kelberman is the Senior Editor for Mile High Huddle. He has covered the NFL for more than a decade and the Denver Broncos since 2016. He's also the co-host of the wildly popular Broncos show the Mile High Huddle Podcast.

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