How the John Elway-led Broncos of the mid-2010s grew an NFL general manager tree

ENGLEWOOD, Colo. -- In April 2013, the Denver Broncos were inactive successful symptom aft an overtime loss to the Baltimore Ravens successful the AFC's divisional circular that abruptly ended backmost Peyton Manning's archetypal play with the team. But successful the "we conscionable person to get backmost to work" mantra of then-GM John Elway, the Broncos' scouting and unit unit had already gathered for predraft meetings.

Nobody knew it then, but that country provided a glimpse astatine aboriginal NFL beforehand offices. Among the scouts, interns and assortment of staffers were six would-be NFL wide managers, 4 of whom are presently successful their positions, with Elway forming what would go the Broncos' heavy wide manager tree.

"I learned truthful much," San Francisco 49ers wide manager John Lynch said. "I'm not definite if I'm successful this presumption if I don't spot it done that mode with those people. You can't spot years up successful that infinitesimal ... but that foundational tendency for radical to privation to propulsion successful the aforesaid absorption to win -- I saw that there, close from John connected down to each of us."

The Broncos (3-2) look the New York Jets connected Sunday successful London's Tottenham Hotspur Stadium (9:30 a.m. ET, NFL Network). The 0-5 Jets are successful their archetypal play with wide manager Darren Mougey, who joins Lynch, the Las Vegas Raiders' John Spytek and the Washington Commanders' Adam Peters arsenic existent GMs who chopped their teeth connected Elway's Broncos staff.

That unit besides included erstwhile Raiders GM John Ziegler, who is presently an adjunct wide manager with the Tennessee Titans. Champ Kelly was there, too; helium finished retired the 2024 play arsenic the Raiders' interim wide manager and is presently a elder unit enforcement with the Miami Dolphins. All six were with the Broncos betwixt 2013 and 2015, 3 seasons retired of a four-year tally successful which the Broncos tallied 50 regular-season wins, 4 AFC West titles, 2 Super Bowl appearances and a Super Bowl 50 championship.

"I deliberation we each had aspirations, but you were truthful focused connected the tasks," said Mougey, who started arsenic a scouting intern for the Broncos successful 2012. "Nobody was sitting astir like, 'Man, I'm going to beryllium specified a GM' ... [but] I ever felt similar it was a talented group. You'd conscionable ticker however they worked and however they treated radical and cognize if you got the accidental to bash this, you'd privation it to consciousness similar that."

As the GMs reminisce astir the Broncos days, determination are memories of cramped spaces, thousands of subordinate evaluations, arguments, moments that made them laughter and what each called the operation of a "rare'' span from being co-workers to lifelong friends.

"Adam Peters and I shared an bureau -- it was similar a box, similar 10 feet by 10 feet, 2 desks facing each other, solid partition retired to the hallway, truthful similar a food bowl," Spytek said. "[After] Thanksgiving, we were successful determination each day. He had outranked me, truthful helium made maine person the table with my backmost to the hallway ...