John Elway Exclusive: Broncos Legend Talks Bo Nix, Ownership, Aaron Rodgers

Hall of Fame quarterback shares his thoughts in an exclusive interview with Poker Strategy.

John Elway is a very big fan of Denver Broncos quarterback Bo Nix.

Elway is the greatest quarterback in franchise history and a two-time Super Bowl champion. Affectionately nicknamed "The Duke of Denver," Elway still keeps close tabs on the team he played for 16 years.

The Broncos are coming off of a "signature" win over the Philadelphia Eagles, according to Elway. Denver mounted a 14-point fourth quarter comeback against the defending Super Bowl champions, just the second time in franchise history they've accomplished that on the road.

"I think with the youth that they have, all these lessons that they can learn and come out with victories, it just adds to that base of things that they have confidence," Elways told Poker Strategy in an exclusive interview. "They could be set for a long time. Bo Nix has got that ability to do that. He played 62 college games. A very mature young guy who can make all the throws. He's athletic, and he's a great leader. Those guys will follow him, because he's proven to them that he can win these big games. That's why I think it's a signature win."

Elway says he has met Nix a "couple of times" and says that he's a very "mature" young man. The former Oregon Ducks quarterback made a record number of collegiate starts during his time at Oregon and Auburn. That experience has clearly played a role in his seamless transition to the pros.

"I have met Bo a couple times," says Elway. "I have not spent a lot of time with Bo, but the time that I've spent with him, he's a very mature young man that I think is a great leader. He's a competitor, and he wants to win. He's got all those tools. He's smart, he's athletic, he can make all the throws, and he's just going to continue to get better and better."

Elway goes on to say that Nix has "every tool" that you'd want in a quarterback. Nix obviously possesses a ridiculously strong arm and excellent mobility, posting 430 rushing yards last season.

The 65-year-old quarterback legend says the one drawback with Nix is that he'll overthrow his receivers.

"In the first five weeks, if there's one drawback, he's missed some deep throws that he could have hit," says Elway of Nix. "That will continue to get better over time, too, as he gets a better feel for his receivers and those types of things. He won't miss those as time goes on. He works hard, wants to be great. He's got every tool that you'd want in a quarterback.

"In today's NFL, a lot of that falls on that quarterback," Elway continues to say. "You gotta have that guy, that quarterback that the team believes in. They got to believe in the fact that he can win games for them, that gets the best out of the team too. He's got all those qualities. The sky's the limit, and he's going to continue to get better and better."

"Bo Nix Has Playmaking Ability Like Patrick Mahomes"

When asked to make a player comparison for Nix, Elway says he's got a little "Patrick Mahomes" in his play style and playmaking abilities.

Elway does stress that in order to win a championship, you still have to be an excellent pocket-passing quarterback.

"That's why it's exciting to have a guy like Bo," says Elway. "If there's somebody that he's like, it's hard to say. I think he's in the (Patrick) Mahomes type, because he has brought back more of an athletic quarterback to where he's made more plays outside the pocket.

"But I still say the most important thing is to win a world championship; you still have to be able to win it from the pocket. You can't just be a running quarterback. You have to be able to sit in the pocket and throw from the pocket, because especially the deeper you get in the playoffs, those defenses get more athletic, they get better.

"You can't be a steady diet of just moving around outside the pocket, making big plays," Elway continues to say. "You have to be able to make the plays from the pocket, throw from the pocket. Bo has got that too. Mahomes has got that. The top-10 quarterbacks, if you look at them, they're all athletic. They can all move around, but they can also win from the pocket."

"Ownership ‘Uncovering Every Stone’ To Get Broncos a Championship"

During his post-playing career, Elway led the Broncos to a Super Bowl 50 win as the general manager. He served in a front office executive role from 2011 until 2022. Since he stepped away from the organization, there have obviously been massive changes, with the Walton-Penner family ownership group taking over — they're known for leading Walmart — the franchise in 2022.

After going through a rough stretch for nearly a decade, the Broncos posted their first playoff year last season since 2015. At 3-2 and with Nix at the helm, they could be headed towards another playoff season this year.

"Bronco country couldn't ask for a better ownership group than we have now," says Elway of the Walton-Penner group. "Obviously, we had a tremendous owner in Pat Bowlen before, and we hated to see him go. But the Penner group, they're solid, they want to win. They've been successful in their previous careers obviously. The most important thing is successful organizations have very competitive owners, and they want to win.

"That's what we have here with the Penners in Denver," Elway continues to say of the ownership group. "The things that they're building, the new stadium, the new complex for where the Broncos are going to work out. They're uncovering every stone to give the Broncos a chance to be a top organization for a long, long time and compete for world championships."

He says that while he doesn't see the Walton-Penner group "a lot," he's very "impressed" with how they handle things.

"I don't see them a whole lot because I'm not involved anymore, but I see them quite a bit," says Elway. "Just very impressed with the way they handle things, the way they manage people. They want to get involved and understand the game, but they know what their limits are when it comes down to the football side.

"That's a great quality for an ownership group to have, is to let the professionals that they hire run the football side. They're great and that's a big reason why the Broncos are back where they are, because of that cohesiveness that the Penners have brought and continue to bring. We'll be here for a long, long time."

"It ‘Would Be Great’ if Aaron Rodgers Went Out With a Title Like Me"

One of the more intriguing subjects of this season is whether or not Aaron Rodgers can go out the way Elway did at the conclusion of his career with winning a Super Bowl.

Rodgers has led the Pittsburgh Steelers to a 3-1 record and they're the obvious favorites to win the AFC North.

When asked if he could see Rodgers going out with his second Super Bowl ring — the way Elway did at the conclusion of the 1998 season — the Broncos great says there is that "potential" of that happening.

"There's always that potential," says Elway. "If you look at Mike Tomlin, the success he's had, the legacy of the Pittsburgh Steelers, winning is in their DNA. That's what they've done forever when it comes down to winning football games and winning championships. It's a good spot for Aaron, because they want to play good defense. They want to run the football. They've taken some pressure off him to where he doesn't have to carry the load. At his age, he's not a young chicken anymore."

One thing that the Steelers have going for them, according to Elway, is that there's no "standout favorite" this season. Both the Eagles and Buffalo Bills lost their first games in Week 5.

"I'm sure he likes that running game and the support around him," says Elway of Rodgers. "This league is so close, and every team's got a good football player, but to have the experience of somebody like Aaron Rodgers with his mindset, him being a champion, him knowing that the end of his career is close, I'm sure that he would love nothing better than to be able to close this thing out with a Super Bowl championship.

"At this point in time, you look at the league, I don't think there's one standout favorite that is for sure. That's why you just never know."

Elway says he does know Rodgers a little bit due to their time of playing golf together in recent years. Both football greats are well-known for their annual participation in the American Century Golf Championship, the biggest celebrity golf tournament out there.

"I've been around him a little bit," says Elway of Rodgers. "He's a big golfer, so I've had an opportunity to play golf with him and get to know him a little bit. He's a guy that I respect and look at as tremendous, one of the top players ever to have played the game and what he did in Green Bay.

"Obviously, some things he's done are a little different than normal, but that's what I respect about Aaron. He's not worried about what other people are thinking about him. He's living his life and it would be great to see him go out with a championship. I know that he's going to have success when he's done with the NFL. I'm sure he'll have success in his second life outside of football."