John Elway admits skipping Josh Allen was his biggest regret as Broncos GM

Give Denver Broncos legend John Elway a lot of credit for admitting defeat when it came to passing on Josh Allen in the 2018 NFL Draft. Elway was still the boss in the Broncos’ front office at the time. Even though Allen was a high-risk, high-reward prospect coming out of Wyoming, Denver opted to take NC State pass rusher Bradley Chubb at No. 5 over Allen, who went at No. 7.

In the years since Peyton Manning retired, Denver has had a very hard time getting the quarterback position right. The Broncos may need Bo Nix, or maybe just more of the same. Either way, Elway really liked the guy coming out of Wyoming, but may not have had the balls to pull the trigger and draft the previously controversial quarterback prospect. I bet he wished he had.

During an appearance on Barstool Sports’ “Pardon My Take,” PFT Commenter was able to pull this bit from Elway about Allen during an episode of his show.

“I know he is, and I played golf with him last year. And I wonder how long it’s going to take him to realize that I let him go and took Bradley Chubb? And it cost him two and a half holes. And I love him, right? You know, he was just my type and you’re right that was probably my biggest mistake in my GM days, not taking Josh,” Elway said.

Here’s a clip from Elway’s performance, in which he talks about skipping Allen in the draft.

Allen was the third quarterback taken in the 2018 NFL Draft. Outside of two-time NFL MVP Lamar Jackson, who was taken 32nd overall to the Baltimore Ravens, Allen is the best quarterback in his class.

We can only imagine how different the situation would have been if the Buffalo Bills hadn’t gotten him.

Look. I’m not going to take Elway for a ride here. What you have to remember is that there were five highly sought-after quarterbacks entering the draft at the time: Allen, Jackson, Baker Mayfield, Sam Darnold and Josh Rosen. Mason Rudolph was a hot commodity before he went out of Oklahoma State in the third round to the Pittsburgh Steelers. Allen had all the physical attributes, but he was far from finished…

Keep in mind that Chubb was a standout player at NC State. He was an all-conference performer in the ACC. He may have made a few Pro Bowls, but he’s now playing for the Miami Dolphins after being traded there midseason in 2022. Allen was clearly a player NFL executives liked more than the average guy. College football fans remember a volatile player.

Allen’s biggest critics poked and prodded at his accuracy issues and lack of compensation at Wyoming in the Mountain West. In games against quality Power Five competition like Iowa and Oregon, he shrank. In fact, his penultimate season in Laramie was better than his last. Allen was on everyone’s draft radar, but he didn’t exactly enter the NFL with everyone clamoring for him.

In reality, he went to the perfect situation for him. Sean McDermott was a highly respected defensive mind with something to prove as a rookie head coach. He was smart enough to let someone with a better feel for the quarterback position develop him in former Bills offensive coordinator Brian Daboll. By the end of Allen’s second pro season, we all knew we were looking at a future superstar.

The 2018 NFL Draft was a loaded one. While the Broncos got a good deal in some ways by selecting Chubb, other star players around the league like Allen, Quenton Nelson, Roquan Smith and Minkah Fitzpatrick went in the first few picks after Denver took Chubb fifth. Again, few expected Allen to develop into this type of player, but Elway seems to have thought he could.

Despite the many successes Elway has achieved as a manager in his career, he can also remember the failures.