John Elway gives up duties as Broncos GM

The Denver Broncos are making a major change in the structure of their organization.

Team president John Elway announced Monday that he is giving up his duties as general manager. The team will hire a full-time general manager to work with coach Vic Fangio, and that GM will have the final say on personnel decisions.

“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,” Elway said in a statement. “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.”

Elway added that Fangio will have a say in deciding who the GM will be.

This is a major shift for the Broncos. Elway has been in charge of personnel decisions since 2011, and he was the key figure in the construction of the team’s Super Bowl winning team in 2016. However, fortunes have changed in recent seasons, with the team struggling in particular to find a long-term answer at quarterback.

This immediately becomes an attractive job, as the Broncos still have some talent but need to address some key areas. Denver joins the Carolina Panthers and Houston Texans in a GM hiring process that is already well underway for those other teams.