Hall of Fame quarterback John Elway was a big-armed, mobile pigskin-slinger during his 16-year NFL playing career with the Denver Broncos. After becoming the Broncos' general manager, he had a chance to draft a similarly-styled Josh Allen in 2018 but passed on the chance.
During a recent appearance on Barstool Sports' "Pardon My Take" podcast, Elway called passing on Allen the biggest error of his GM tenure.
"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 said, via The Associated Press. "And I loved him. But it just didn't work out. He was my type. That was probably my biggest mistake of my GM days, was not taking Josh."
After taking over the head of football operations in Denver in 2012, Elway wooed Peyton Manning to Denver, eventually leading to a Super Bowl title. However, outside of that move, Elway could never figure out the QB position, and the Broncos have cycled through signal-callers since.
In 2018, the Broncos had just signed veteran Case Keenum coming off the "Minneapolis Miracle" season, and Elway had used a first-round pick on Paxton Lynch two years prior. The presence of both QBs likely colored Elway's decision to pass on Allen. Keenum lasted just one year in Denver. Lynch started just four total games in the NFL, none after 2017. He's been out of the NFL since September 2020.
Chubb displayed talent off the bat, generating 12 sacks as a rookie, so few at the time criticized Elway's choice to pass on Allen. However, Chubb struggled to stay healthy the rest of his tenure in Denver and was eventually traded to Miami in 2022.
Allen, meanwhile, has turned into an annual MVP candidate and has taken the Bills to the playoffs each of the past five seasons. Much like the early part of Elway's career, Allen hasn't gotten over the postseason hump and guided the Bills to a Super Bowl title, but there's still time.