John ElwayDenver Broncos · #7
John Elway is a Hall of Fame quarterback who played all 16 of his NFL seasons for the Denver Broncos. He was the 1987 NFL MVP, made nine Pro Bowls, and won back-to-back Super Bowls to close his career, earning MVP honors in Super Bowl XXXIII.
John Elway — the report card
Read his whole game at a glance, then dive into any skill. Grades are percentiles vs every active player at his position.
Where John Elway stands
Live ladders from the Balladex models, and what he's chasing. Rankings recompute nightly from real production, accolades, and search demand.
John Elway — every number, three levels deep
Headline → metric → the raw history behind it. Real career data; tracking-only metrics labeled.
How the model sees John Elway
Projection = recency-weighted per-season production, nudged along a position aging curve, banded by his year-to-year volatility. No black box — every number shows its work.
John Elway career stats, season by season
| Season | G | Cmp% | Yds | TD | INT | Rate |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1983 | 11 | 47.5 | 1,663 | 7 | 14 | 54.9 |
| 1984 | 15 | 56.3 | 2,598 | 18 | 15 | 76.8 |
| 1985 | 16 | 54.0 | 3,891 | 22 | 23 | 70.2 |
| 1986 | 16 | 55.6 | 3,485 | 19 | 13 | 79.0 |
| 1987 MVP | 12 | 54.6 | 3,198 | 19 | 12 | 83.4 |
| 1988 | 15 | 55.2 | 3,309 | 17 | 19 | 71.4 |
| 1989 | 15 | 53.6 | 3,051 | 18 | 18 | 73.7 |
| 1990 | 16 | 58.6 | 3,526 | 15 | 14 | 78.5 |
| 1991 | 16 | 53.7 | 3,253 | 13 | 12 | 75.4 |
| 1992 | 12 | 55.1 | 2,242 | 10 | 17 | 65.7 |
| 1993 | 16 | 63.2 | 4,030 | 25 | 10 | 92.8 |
| 1994 | 14 | 62.1 | 3,490 | 16 | 10 | 85.7 |
| 1995 | 16 | 58.3 | 3,970 | 26 | 14 | 86.4 |
| 1996 | 15 | 61.6 | 3,328 | 26 | 14 | 89.2 |
| 1997 SB | 16 | 55.8 | 3,635 | 27 | 11 | 87.5 |
| 1998 SB MVP | 13 | 59.0 | 2,806 | 22 | 10 | 93.0 |
| Career | 234 | 51,475 | 300 | 226 |
The Lab
Every number, live and interactive. Real career data; models labeled.
Are the Denver Broncos built to win?
Team projection rolled up from the roster + last-season baselines — and what it means for his role.
The Ballad of John Elway
Birth to now — the making of a legend, narrated and scored.
The beginning
John Elway, the No.
Turning pro
Drafted 1983, Round 1 (#1 overall) as a Quarterback.
true
Forced a 1983 trade from Baltimore to Denver
Chapter
'The Drive': a 98-yard march to tie the 1986 AFC Championship Game
Chapter
Won back-to-back Super Bowls in his final two seasons
Off the court
- Height
- 6'3"
- Weight
- 215 lb
- Draft
- 1983, Round 1 (#1 overall)
- Born
- Port Angeles, Washington
- Age
- 66
- Jersey
- #7
After retiring, Elway ran restaurants and car dealerships before returning to the Broncos as an executive, serving as general manager and president of football operations and assembling the Super Bowl 50-winning roster. He had also been drafted by the New York Yankees as a baseball prospect out of Stanford.
A fiercely competitive gunslinger, Elway was renowned for his willingness to win games with his arm or his legs in the closing minutes.
John Elway — frequently asked
The questions people ask most about John Elway, answered.
