"He was the piece we needed" - Broncos executive John Elway confident Russell Wilson will bring Denver another Super Bowl
Last season, the Denver Broncos finished 7-10 under head coach Vic Fangio. They made some changes in the off-season, replacing Fangio with Nathaniel Hackett and acquiring quarterback Russell Wilson.
Former Broncos legend John Elway, the team's president of football operations, said that acquiring Wilson this off-season was the piece the team needed:
"He was the piece we needed. We had a good football team around him and I think George [Paton] did a tremendous job of putting that deal together and getting him here. It's great to see the fan base energized again."
Elway added that the team has a chance to compete in the tough AFC West, but the players must stay healthy:
"We've got a chance to compete in the AFC West, which obviously is going to be tough. But again like anything we've got to stay healthy. We've had a tough time doing that the last several years. If we can stay healthy, Russ has been there, he's won Super Bowls, he knows what it takes and the leadership he's provided has been tremendous."
The Broncos were aggressive in acquiring Wilson this off-season. Denver acquired the quarterback and a 2022 fourth-round pick for tight end Noah Fant, defensive end Shelby Harris, quarterback Drew Lock, 2022 first, second, and fifth-round picks, and 2023 first and second-round picks.
Seahawks and Broncos have agreed in principle on a trade sending QB Russell Wilson to Denver. (via @TomPelissero) https://t.co/yOI2EcEOtx
John Elway looks to win second Super Bowl as executive—this time with Russell Wilson at QB
On January 5, 2011, Elway was named general manager and executive vice president of football operations for the Broncos, with the final say in all football matters. In Elway's second season as an executive, he and the Broncos landed free agent Peyton Manning on a five-year contract worth $96 million.
In four seasons from 2012 to 2015, the Broncos won four division titles, two AFC Championships, and reached Super Bowl XLVIII, where they were defeated 43-8 by the Seattle Seahawks.
Elway won a third Super Bowl as part of the Broncos franchise on February 7, 2016, when Denver defeated the Carolina Panthers 24-10 in Super Bowl 50. This was his first Super Bowl win as Executive VP/GM.
We #BeatThePanthers!!! #SB50 https://t.co/2HoRWOZsiu
With the acquisition of Wilson, the Broncos certainly have a real shot of making a Super Bowl run this season and for the next few years. Denver has had an all-around good team, but Wilson is a significant upgrade from Teddy Bridgewater and Drew Lock.
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