Broncos Ex-GM John Elway Says His Biggest Regret Centers Around Josh Allen

Instead of selecting Allen, Elway selected a two-time Pro Bowler.

Jan 2, 2022; Inglewood, California, USA; Denver Broncos president of football operations John Elway looks on before the game against the Los Angeles Chargers at SoFi Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jayne Kamin-Oncea-USA TODAY Sports / Jayne Kamin-Oncea-USA TODAY Sports

Former Denver Broncos general manager John Elway has one regret from his post-playing days as a football executive, and ironically, it stems from his evaluation of a quarterback.

Elway, who was a three-time Super Bowl winner in Denver (twice as a player and once as an executive) and is a Pro Football Hall of Famer, missed on a quarterback in the 2018 draft and took a standout pass rusher instead.

Elway's selection of defensive end Bradley Chubb out of NC State instead of Buffalo Bills star quarterback Josh Allen with the No. 5 pick still haunts him to this day.

"I know [Allen] is my type [of quarterback]," Elway said on Monday's episode of the Pardon My Take podcast. "And 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?'" Elway added with a chuckle.

Chubb is a two-time Pro Bowl pass rusher and has been productive when healthy, but Allen has proven to be a difference maker at quarterback and a franchise cornerstone in Buffalo as one of the top signal callers in the sport.

"It took him two and a half holes [to realize]," Elway continued. "And I loved him, right? Just, you know...he was my type you're right. That was probably my biggest mistake of my GM days was not taking Josh."

John Elway believed his biggest mistake as The Broncos’ GM was not drafting Josh Allen @PardonMyTake #BroncosCountry pic.twitter.com/7eCwalnU93

— Barstool Denver (@BarstoolDenver) July 29, 2024

Allen was taken two picks later by the Bills and the rest is history. Allen has thrown for 22,703 yards and 167 touchdowns, while adding 3,611 yards and 53 scores on the ground. He was named second-team All-Pro in 2020.

Elway can lament his swing and miss on Allen in the '18 draft from the golf course now, with his general manager days long behind him.