John Elway Relinquishes GM Role, Will Make New Hire to Manage Personnel

John Elway just rocked the NFL world.

In a move sure to raise some eyebrows around the NFL, John Elway announced on Monday that he will be "stepping into an elevated" front office role and will relinquish GM duties. The Denver Broncos' long-standing top football czar will hire a new GM, who will be "empowered" to make all personnel decisions while working hand-in-glove with head coach Vic Fangio. 

Elway still gets the final say, though. 

John Elway has announced changes to our football operations.

📰 » https://t.co/v1TiyGHhlR pic.twitter.com/Dy1bDbVCGH

— Denver Broncos (@Broncos) January 4, 2021

Elway's statement read: 

"Working in this role for the last 10 years and going back to my playing days, I've always tried to do everything I can to help the Broncos win and get better. As part of a transition I've thought about for a long time, I have made the decision to step up into an elevated role and hire a general manager to lead our personnel and football staff. 

"While I'll continue to be President of Football Operations in 2021, the GM will have final say on the draft, free agency and our roster. This person will be empowered to make all football decisions, working in partnership with Vic [Fangio]. 

"I will be there to support our GM and Vic, providing my perspective, helping with the big decisions and being a sounding board whenever needed. With all that goes into the day-to-day responsibilities of a GM and how the job has grown, this structure will set us up for success and allow me to focus on the big picture. 

"This is a great place with all the resources to win. We have a lot of good people on the football side, and I'll be there for them in any way possible. 

"The relationship between the GM and Head Coach is very important—Vic is going to be involved in this hiring process. We'll cast a wide net, and I will start the search immediately with input from Vic and Joe [Ellis].

"I'm excited to begin this chapter and find the next general manager of the Denver Broncos."

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Since Elway arrived in the front office in 2011, the Broncos rank among the NFL leaders in total wins (96), regular-season wins (90), division titles (five), Super Bowl appearances (2) and World Championships (1) during that span. Elway’s 71 total wins are believed to be the most by any NFL team’s general manager through his first 100 overall games. 

After the Broncos earned the ignominious distinction of becoming the first NFL team ever to win the Super Bowl and miss the playoffs in each of the following five seasons, Elway had to make a change. This could be very good for the Broncos. 

Let 'GM watch' begin as the Broncos cast that "wide net" to find Elway's successor. We know that Director of Player Personnel Matt Russell will not be a candidate as he is "retiring" and set to travel the globe with his wife. 

Matt Russell: "I am retiring. I am going to help them w/the (GM) search. I've been doing this since 7th grade. I've been at a camp every summer. I talked to my wife and we want to travel. John and I talked about this for a couple weeks. My relationship w/John is great." #9sports

— Mike Klis (@mikeklis) January 4, 2021

Team CEO and President Joe Ellis released the following statement on Monday. 

 “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.”

These changes are being postured as voluntary but the implication here is, the Broncos' front office just fired itself without firing itself. Ellis, considering the icon Elway is, is allowing him to gracefully step down as GM under the facade of an "elevation" to a higher role in the front office. 

Seismic changes, Broncos Country. 

Follow Chad on Twitter @ChadNJensen and @MileHighHuddle.