EXCLUSIVE: John Elway talks to The Big Lead about his health, the 2024 Broncos and more

There are only a handful of players from the NFL that when you speak their name, everyone is at attention. Pro Football Hall of Famer and former Denver Broncos quarterback John Elway is one of those players.

We spoke with Elway today about a concerning health issue he is dealing with, known as Dupuytren's Contracture (DC). DC is an incurable condition that causes the fingers to bend and become permanently fixed in a flexed position.

Elway first dealt with this condition over five years ago, but thanks to the FDA-approved medication Xiaflex, he was able to treat the condition. However, the condition has returned to another part of his hand.

Check out our full interview with Elway below:

Q. When did you realize the symptoms of your condition needed medical treatment?

Elway: It was something when I was in my early 50s, I noticed constrictions in the palms of my hands, especially my ring finger. I actually saw our trainer with the Denver Broncos, who set me up with a specialist that diagnosed me with DC.

After being diagnosed, I wanted to find out more about DC. It's something that a lot of people don't know about, even though 5% of the population has it, which is why I want people to be aware that there is a non-surgical option for this condition in the form of the medication Xiaflex.

Q. I noticed when reading about your journey with DC that you waited two years to seek treatment. Was that after the official diagnosis, or because you really didn't know what was causing the issue?

Elway: I didn't really know what it was. I kind of put it off until I asked our trainer, who directed me to the hand specialist. But I think that is one of the things we are trying to encourage, is that the earlier you seek treatment, the results are much better.

It's amazing in the last five years, how many people have asked me about the condition and the Xiaflex that treats the condition. You are not alone. If you have these constrictions in your hands and fingers, there is a non-surgical treatment in Xiaflex.

Q. That brings me to my next question. What would you tell someone who may be waiting to seek medical treatment with these symptoms?

Elway: That there is a non-surgical treatment. You can go to xiaflex.com, which will help explain what DC really is. I encourage people to seek out help with their hand constrictions and seek out the Xiaflex treatment. It's not curable, but you can make it better with the nonsurgical option.

Q: In keeping with the discussion on health, I want to move to an NFL-related question. The NFL continues to tease that an 18-game regular season could be possible. Do you believe that it is a good idea for the players and their health?

Elway: I think the NFL has made great strides in making the game safer. It is a very physical game, and probably why people enjoy it so much is because the physicality. But the NFL has done a great job with taking the unnecessary big hits out. Really protecting the quarterbacks, because they are so important to the game.

I think going to 18 games will be a fact. It's been talked about for a long time. I think teams are not beating each other up as much in practice. Players are taking better care of their bodies. Coaches are caring for their player's health with the way they handle practice. I think the NFL can handle it. I think the players can handle it, and I think the fans want it.

Q: You mentioned protecting the quarterbacks. This era of the NFL has become an offensive explosion. Is there one team this season that you've enjoyed watching their offense each week?

Elway: Obviously, I'm a big Broncos fan. Always have been, always will be, bleed orange. I'm really excited for the Broncos and their fans because Bo Nix has had a tremendous year. He's matured and has all the talent in the world.

It's also been fun for me to see how Sean Payton has brought Nix along by not giving him too much too early.

It also helps that Vance Joseph has the defense playing the way they have. The defense keeps them in every game.

We've seen the transition of Bo continuing to get better each week, and the offense continues to get better each week, as they're in the playoffs currently. It's an exciting time in Denver. You know, being a little bit of a hometowner there, but still, I really enjoy watching what they are doing.

Q: Not many athletes get to finish their careers on the mountain top. Do you think it was easier for you to say goodbye to the game after winning back-to-back Super Bowls?

Elway: Yeah, there's no question. I was very lucky. We got to three Super Bowls early in my career (1987,1988,1990). Having that taste of the Super Bowl was definitely an incentive. We had a long dry spell from 1989 to 1998 before we were able to get back and be heavy underdogs to the defending champs (Green Bay Packers). To be able to get over the hump and win that, and then come back in '98, where we had a great team, and to be able to win it again was obviously a thrill.

I think as football players we all know the end will eventually come. Because physically we can't do it anymore, cause we all would like to play forever. But I was 38 years old at the time. Could I have come back another year? Possibly.

In '98, I missed about four games. So, I was starting to break down a little bit more physically, and I couldn't do some of the things I wanted to do physically.

After winning two Super Bowls, I thought now was the perfect time, and decided to walk away and never really looked back. I thought it was the right time. It's nice to be able to look back at so many fond memories of my last game being the Super Bowl and we were able to win it.

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