Renck: Elway ‘the Broncos to so many,’ hard to assign value to that
Jul 19, 2017, 12:00 AM | Updated: 9:19 am
It’s not a far stretch to imagine many, if not most, people answering John Elway when asked what single person embodies the Denver Broncos.
Certainly, there are others — Pat Bowlen, Terrell Davis, etc. — but for a better chunk of three decades, Elway has not only been a part of but also a key factor in the franchise’s success — most recently as the executive vice president and general manager.
With training camp just more than a week away, reports indicate Elway and the Broncos are circling in on an extension to keep the executive from entering the 2017 campaign on the final year of his existing contract.
Denver 7 Broncos Insider Troy Renck, guest hosting on “Stokley & Zach” on Tuesday, said he believes the two sides will get it done.
“He’s motivated to stay. They’re motivated to keep him. They want him here,” Renck said.
However, the issue they’re running into, Renck said, is how to assign value to Elway.
“He deserves to be the highest-paid GM. I think you can make that argument. But in Denver, John Elway has a presence and ability and he has a profile he would have nowhere else in the league,” Renck said.
“He is the Broncos to so many people. So, how do you assign value to that? Do you give him more money because of who he is? Do you give him a little more responsibility and tweak a title?”
Fan Broncos Insider Cecil Lammey echoed on Monday that perhaps a title bump for Elway could be why the process of extending the contract has carried on through the offseason.
“You know Elway’s going to be the highest-paid GM. For me, it’s that extra title,” Lammey said. “It’s chief operating officer of the Denver Broncos and adding that to his responsibilities.”
But despite the hang up, both Lammey and Renck expect a deal to get done by the start of training camp next week.
“I think, eventually, it gets done. Ideally, it gets done this coming Wednesday at the barbecue the day before training camp,” Renck said.
Follow digital content producer Johnny Hart on Twitter: @JohnnyHart7.
