John Elway went to five Super Bowls, and won two, as a player. He’s been to two, and won one, as an exec. He turns 60 years old in less than a year. His family is set for generations to come. He could walk away tomorrow, with as complete a legacy as anyone in the history of the sport.
And on Thursday morning, at 9:15 a.m. Mountain Time, he’ll be the first NFL general manager to set foot on a practice field for training camp in 2019.
Things are different in Denver, without question, than it was over Elway’s first half-decade in charge.