NFL Rumors: John Elway interested in Denver Broncos ownership after Peyton Manning's initial contact 

The Broncos' ownership has been in a state of flux over the past five years following the death of their previous owner, Pat Bowlen.

Joe Ellis is as close to an owner the Broncos have had since. Is that the long-term plan, though? A new owner has been on the agenda for some time and one potential suitor is the team's old quarterback.

John Elway potentially in line to buy a stake in Denver Broncos

John Elway, Denver's long-time quarterback before 2000, is rumored to be interested in buying a stake in the Broncos. While Elway is well off financially after working with Denver as the general manager for the last decade, he lacks the scratch to buy the team outright. That said, he has enough capital to buy a decent-sized chunk of the team.

If Elway is so inclined, he may be able to put together a group of investors to purchase the team and have him serve as the de facto owner. In that case, he would probably take care of the day-to-day duties as the owner of the team while not legally owning the team. The move would serve as a promotion for the one-time-quarterback-turned-general manager-turned-president of football operations.

According to reports, Elway isn't the only one interested in owning some or all of the Denver Broncos. According to Pro Football Talk, Jeff Bezos and Jay-Z have interest in the Broncos. Another ex-Bronco quarterback has also been speculated about: Peyton Manning.

Manning played for Denver from 2012 until his retirement on the heels of winning Super Bowl 50 at the end of the 2015 season. Despite playing most of his career with the Indianapolis Colts, Manning is still somewhat involved with the team. He's paid the Broncos multiple visits and has given advice to Drew Lock on occasion.

Some speculated that there was a good chance he would land as general manager under Elway before the job was ultimately taken by George Paton. If Elway were to become the de facto owner of the organization, Manning would likely be Elway's understudy similarly to when he was a quarterback and Elway was general manager.

Super Bowl LV

Manning has seen an uptick in his involvement with the NFL over the last six months. Between his induction into the Hall of Fame and his new simulcast with Monday Night Football, the NFL legend seems to be gearing up for a return to the league after floating around in the five years since his retirement.

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