A modern MVP moment in the NBA brings new attention to John Elway’s place in one of the rarest clubs in football history
The Denver Broncos have historically been one of the NFL's most consistent programs. From 1975 to 2015, Denver suffered just seven losing seasons — an incredible stretch that was anchored by one of the league's all-time great quarterbacks, John Elway. Elway, of course, found his way to the Broncos amid some controversy upon his entry to […]
The Denver Broncos have historically been one of the NFL's most consistent programs.
From 1975 to 2015, Denver suffered just seven losing seasons — an incredible stretch that was anchored by one of the league's all-time great quarterbacks, John Elway. Elway, of course, found his way to the Broncos amid some controversy upon his entry to the league. He was drafted as the headlining talent of the infamous 1983 NFL Draft and spend his whole career chasing an elusive Lombardi Trophy before going out on top (two times over).
The circumstances that led Elway to Denver were fortunate for the Broncos and the trophy case would, eventually, fill up thanks to the fates bringing the two together. Elway's pursuit of personal hardware was a much shorter wait than his bid for a championship, as he was named the NFL's Most Valuable Player in 1987 while leading Denver to an appearance in the Super Bowl. That MVP award would go on to place Elway in an all-time exclusive club as an MVP who was, at some point, traded before winning the award.
That club has been put into the spotlight thanks to a similar pathway and achievement being achieved in a different sport this past year — as Shai Gilgeous-Alexander won the NBA's MVP award after being traded earlier in his career. Gilgeous-Alexander's Thunder won the first NBA championship in Oklahoma City's history as an NBA franchise last night, prompting NFL Network's Ian Rapoport to explore just how elusive the traded, future MVP club really is.
John Elway among one of the most exclusive clubs of NFL MVPs
Elway, Washington quarterback Joe Theismann, and Rich Gannon are the only names on this list who were traded before playing a down in the NFL — which could perhaps take some of the sting out of passing a future league MVP onward to someone else. But all three were selected before having their rights traded, which is an important qualifier between their presence on this list and names like Patrick Mahomes, Lamar Jackson, and Josh Allen — whose teams traded up to draft them but turned the card in with their names on it for themselves to acquire the rights.
Elway is, in a way, a member of the club within the club.
With no NFL player achieving this feat since Gannon's miraculous breakout season, the odds of us seeing another name added to the list may require a special season. We came close in 2023 when 49ers running back Christian McCaffrey finished third in the MVP voting. But, for now, Elway remains among the names that populate one of the NFL's most exclusive MVP clubs in existence.
Chiefs DT Chris Jones’ comparison for Broncos QB Bo Nix shows Sean Payton did what John Elway couldn’t
Lofty praise for the rookie.
