My parents moved a good bit when I was growing up. Henceforth, my NFL allegiances were not tied to a place I lived.

That being said, I grew up in the late 70’s until the 90’s. My first sports team to really fall in love with was the Denver Broncos.

John Elway was the reason. He had talent, and he kept getting to the Super Bowl but not being able to win it. I lived and died by Bronco games.

John Elway, drafted as the first overall pick in 1983, became the face of the franchise.

I watched him lose to the New York Giants. I watched him lose to the Washington Redskins (now the Commanders).

I remember being at my friends house to watch Super Bowl XXIV, and I remember watching it until the end. I was heartbroken for Elway and my Broncos, thinking they would never win a Super Bowl.

But his tenure was finally marked by two Super Bowl wins (1997 against Brett Favre and the Green Bay Packers and 1998 against the Atlanta Falcons, coached by his former head coach Dan Reeves) and numerous MVP awards. Elway is widely regarded as one of the greatest QBs in NFL history.

The franchise I grew up rooting for finally had not one, but two World Championships.

Then came the post-Elway period. After Elway retired, the Broncos had a series of quarterbacks including Brian Griese, Jake Plummer, and Jay Cutler. None of these QBs managed to replicate Elway’s success, though the team remained competitive.

Plummer took the team to the AFC Championship game in 2005, but lost to the Pittsburg Steelers, throwing 4 interceptions in the process. It was beginning to look like the Broncos caught lightning in a bottle with Elway, and that the franchise was stuck once again.

The only difference was that this time, they couldn’t even make it to the Super Bowl. Only Craig Morton (1978) got them to one, and he was before Elway.

In a move that surprised many, Peyton Manning, a future Hall of Famer, joined the Broncos in 2012. Manning led the team to Super Bowl XLVIII in 2013, though they were destroyed by the Seattle Seahawks.

Manning missed the next Super bowl. However, he redeemed himself with a victory in Super Bowl 50 in 2015 before retiring. The Super Bowl was won by the Broncos defense more than Manning, but he was still the only other quarterback not named Elway to win one in Bronco orange.

Since Manning’s retirement, the Broncos have struggled to find a consistent quarterback. Key figures during this period include Trevor Siemian, Case Keenum, Joe Flacco, Drew Lock, and Russell Wilson, who was acquired in a high-profile trade with the Seattle Seahawks before the 2022 season.

The Wilson trade turned out to be a disaster, and the team is still trying to recover from it. Wilson did not play well in Denver, and the team as a whole struggled mightily while he was there.

Denver have been trying to find themselves offensively since Manning won it all with them, and the hiring of Sean Peyton was supposed to fix all that.

The jury is still out on Sean Peyton, but he has the choices of Jarrett Stidham, Zach Wilson, or Bo Nix for his starting quarterback. Doesn’t strike fear into opponents hearts.

It could be that Sean Peyton can work a miracle and make one of those qb’s into a star, but the Broncos have only won championships with aging quarterbacks who have already proven their worth.

The Broncos’ history with quarterbacks reflects a mix of highs and lows, with memorable eras driven by standout players like Elway and Manning. I am left to wonder, how long will it be until another memorable era for the Broncos?