2021 Denver Broncos Offseason Discusion

[Draft Crazy]

Broncos John Elway steps down as GM; Matt Russell retires

John Elway steps down as GM, will remain with team

www.thedenverchannel.com

 

[Draft Crazy]

A last name with Spy in it as guy making NFL draft decisions makes sense.

 

[Draft Crazy]

Sorry but hiring one of Elway’s “buddies” doesn’t appeal to me. But if he proves himself then he will. .

I know nothing about him though. Just seems like an Elway move so that he can still have a lot of say.

To be fair most hires in the NFL are because of some kind of connection though. Just happy to see a step in the right direction.

 

[SpringStein]

In 4-5 years, I’m looking at having someone take my position in my organization. I wonder what elevated position I can put myself into?!

That sounds like a pretty perfect role for JE. He can have this new role - let me when there is a job description - and someone else takes the criticism.

But I really do hope it’s a great step for the team.

 

[SpringStein]

Sorry but hiring one of Elway’s “buddies” doesn’t appeal to me. But if he proves himself then he will. .

I know nothing about him though. Just seems like an Elway move so that he can still have a lot of say.

To be fair most hires in the NFL are because of some kind of connection though. Just happy to see a step in the right direction.

I’m in agreement with this. I’d love to see someone come in from the outside with a new set of eyes that aren’t biased. I‘ve been waiting for that from the Rockies for almost a decade but have high hopes the Broncos are smarter than the Rox.

 

[SpringStein]

In 4-5 years, I’m looking at having someone take my position in my organization. I wonder what elevated position I can put myself into?!

That sounds like a pretty perfect role for JE. He can have this new role - let me when there is a job description - and someone else takes the criticism.

But I really do hope it’s a great step for the team.

Oh, and @Mingo, that was tongue firmly in cheek!

 

[SpringStein]

I predict John Spyteck from Tampa gets hired as the GM. I also predict John Elway won't be able to stay out of the details of future deals.

From The Athletic, a couple other names to watch:
One name to watch is Champ Kelly, the current assistant director of player personnel for the Chicago Bears. Kelly, who was instrumental in constructing the roster in Chicago that just reached the NFL playoffs, worked in Denver under Elway and former GM Brian Xanders. He ultimately had a role in evaluating players who were key figures on Denver’s vaunted 2015 defense, and he worked with the Bears while Fangio was in Chicago as defensive coordinator.

Kelly is well-regarded for both his scouting ability and his grasp of technological systems that can aid in the assessment of analytics, another area of need for the Broncos.

Adam Peters, the current vice president of pro personnel for the 49ers, also worked with Elway after beginning his career with the Broncos as a regional scout in 2009. He eventually became the team’s director of college scouting and his keen eye in that department has moved him quickly up the executive ladder.

 

[Draft Crazy]

It seems like everyone we hire anymore worked with or played with Elway. I know that isn’t always the case but it seems to happen a lot under him and yes Iowa that is common in sports but like SS and I indicated above i think in this case we need someone new if we really want to go away from Elway having so much say. Vance Joseph was a puppet coach for us under Elway. Really felt he never had much of a chance to be his own coach here.

 

[Draft Crazy]

Austin Calitro another Elway love Who apparently he had tried to get for years did absolutely nothing for us this year. It’s hard for me to understand why he warranted an active roster spot all season while Josh Watson who played a lot this year stayed on the practice squad until the last week of the season.

 

[Draft Crazy]

I know they seem like small things but it is stuff like this that has really irritated me about Elway. Every roster spot Is very important. We have players that continue to not produce in the role they are in. But we continue to keep them around yet we have guys like Isaiah McKenzie who we give such a short fuse to and then he becomes exactly what we drafted him to be on another team. Hard for me to not point that out about Elway.

 

[Mingo]

Bucs director of player personnel John Spytek a name to watch with Broncos. Worked for Elway in Denver and helped built Tampa’s loaded roster.

Shish - that was my inside scoop I read on the internet.

 

[Mingo]

Oh, and @Mingo, that was tongue firmly in cheek!

@Draft Crazy likes it when you tongue in cheek

 

[BigKen]

I know Elway and The GM are big news, but I'm wondering if Elway is dodging bullets. The Broncos are facing exactly what the Patriots faced before 2020. People leaving and no money to pay anyone. The Broncos aren't the only team in this position. Problem is that the jets and Jags have $90M+
in cap space in 2021 and will be able to ick and choose what ever they want. Hopefully they'll be stupid and drive up each others' bids on free agents. The Patriots will be in 3rd place with $82M in cap space. Wide Receivers, Tight Ends, Defensive line and Linebackers will be in Belichick's sights.

Fans are terrified that Cam newton's great game yesterday will give Bill the kind of blindness that makes football people do stupid things. A bunch of us are hoping that he'll sign Ryan Fitzpatrick for one year and draft a strong college quarterback.

The Chiefs have $125M tied up with their top 8 players and have 24 free agents that could potentially leave. Your division will truly effected by how well the staffs deals with limited money and not being to keep what now appear to be critical players. Undrafted free agents could be a hu8ge asset.

I'm praying for you guys. I want to see Andy Reid's nuts crushed into wafers.

 

[SpringStein]

Interesting resume:

Champ Kelly, Bears assistant director of player personnel​

Kelly was a GM in a past life, just not in the NFL. He was a general manager for the Kentucky Horsemen of the National Indoor Football League — a team for which he also played defensive back. That learning-from-the-ground-up experience calls to mind Elway’s own stint running the Colorado Crush of the Arena Football League.

Kelly was eventually hired by former Broncos scouting director Jim Goodman to become a college scout in the northeast, and Kelly worked his way up from there, working under Mike Shanahan, Josh McDaniels and John Fox. When Fox became the coach of the Bears in 2015, he took Kelly with him.

“He was a big part of many decisions that put together one of the better defenses in NFL history, the 2015 Broncos,” Fox told The Athletic’s Dan Pompei back in September. “I know he had a lot to do with evaluating and drafting some of those players.”

Kelly, who also briefly worked as an agent, has a technological background, having worked at IBM after earning his MBA at the University of Kentucky, and he’s used that experience to help the Bears manage their analytics systems.

Kelly’s work with both Elway and Fangio, while in Chicago, checks multiple boxes among the trends of previous NFL hires.

 

[Duffman]

I'm not sure I'd be excited for a guy from the Bears when they suck at evaluating players(mainly QB's) more than we do. The Bears have a good Defense but an extrmely laughable Offense, do we really need more of that?

 

[nflbronco]

So brief synopsis is
hire GM
ride with Fangio see results if bad again Fangio gone
Elway retires Broncos sold. start over

 

[Duffman]

It’s too bad Peyton Manning‘s name isn’t in consideration because he would be excellent.

 

[fightinredantz]

It’s too bad Peyton Manning‘s name isn’t in consideration because he would be excellent.

You are assuming Peyton has any interest. I would be more inclined to think that Peyton is having a blast doing commercials and doing Peyton's Places for ESPN.

 

[Duffman]

You are assuming Peyton has any interest. I would be more inclined to think that Peyton is having a blast doing commercials and doing Peyton's Places for ESPN.

He most likely doesn’t, but a guy can dream.

 

[Duffman]

Report: Broncos Make Formal Request to Interview Bears' Champ Kelly for GM Opening | Sports Illustrated Mile High Huddle: Denver Broncos News, Analysis and More