John Elway Secretly Met with Mike Shanahan Last Year, Tried to Get Him to Return to Coach Broncos

Woody Paige dropped a bombshell today: John Elway had secret meetings with Mike Shanahan in an attempt to get him to replace Vance Joseph as head coach after one season, according to five different sources. According to Paige, they discussed a deal but that was nixed when Broncos’ CEO Joe Ellis refused to agree to it as well.

The reunion of the former Broncos coach and his star quarterback was also centered around trying to get Kirk Cousins at quarterback. Paige also reports that Cousins also met with Mike Shanahan in a backroom of his steakhouse in Denver, and was willing to come to Denver if Shanahan was the head coach.

Vance Joseph looked to have rebounded this year with mid-season wins over the Chargers and Steelers, but the team has again slumped and fallen out of playoff contention. With that happening, and Joseph appearing on the way out, it looks like people are now willing to talk about just how close he came to being replaced a year ago.

It’s going to be a little awkward at the Broncos’ facility today.