John Elway made his greatest move as a general manager – one of the best transactions in Denver Broncos history – when he signed Peyton Manning as a free agent in 2012.
Elway successfully wooing Manning was no small feat, and it helped the Broncos attract other marquee free agents like DeMarcus Ware, Aqib Talib, Emmanuel Sanders and T.J. Ward as Denver reached two Super Bowls in four years, winning Super Bowl 50 in Manning’s final season.
Elway’s tenure as GM certainly wasn’t perfect, but he deserves credit for what he got right, particularly Manning. Without Elway, the Broncos probably wouldn’t land Manning, and without Manning, Denver wouldn’t have reached those two Super Bowls.
Elway also deserves criticism for what he got wrong, though, like failing to set the team up for success in the post-Manning era.
In 2012, the same year the Broncos signed Manning, Denver looked to the draft to add a long-term quarterback to be Manning’s eventual replacement.
Elway seemingly wanted a prototypical quarterback much like himself. Arizona State’s Brock Osweiler (6-7) fit the bill, and Elway used a second-round pick to select him over Wisconsin’s Russell Wilson (5-11), who went to the Seattle Seahawks in the third round.
Of course, re-signing Wilson after Manning’s retirement might have been difficult for the Broncos (they failed to reach an extension with Osweiler after Manning retired), but drafting Wilson over Osweiler still would have been a better choice. Elway was slow to adjust to the NFL’s changing QB era, and it was a mistake to pass on Wilson.
New general manager George Paton is fixing Elway’s mistake, but the fix comes with a hefty price tag. Denver has agreed to trade tight end Noah Fant, defensive lineman Shelby Harris, quarterback Drew Lock, two first-round picks, two second-round picks and fifth-round pick to the Seahawks in exchange for Wilson and a fourth-round pick.
Osweiler fit Elway’s expectations for a quarterback’s measurables and traits. Wilson didn’t. Paton doesn’t have the same expectations for a QB.
“I think height, as we’ve learned, there’s some QBs that aren’t over 6 feet who are dynamic,” Paton said at the NFL combine last week, via DNVR’s Andrew Mason. “When I first got into the league, everyone wanted a 6-5 QB, right? Who could really throw it. Didn’t matter if they moved. Well, the league’s changed.“
Paton was being asked about QB prospects entering this year’s draft when he gave that response, but it applies well to Wilson, one of the most dynamic QBs in the NFL despite his height.
It took ten years and cost multiple players and draft picks, but the Broncos are amending their mistake. Denver’s in good hands with Paton.
