Kriti Mehrotra
Son of Janet Jordan and Jack Elway and one-half of a twin, John Albert Elway Jr. grew up in a household full of unwavering support. He did have an elder sister, too, so he was shaped by the women in his life on a personal level, whereas his father introduced him to the world of sports and essentially gave him his calling. After all, the then youngster went on to become one of the greatest professional football quarterbacks of all time, spending his entire 16-year NFL career with the Denver Broncos.
How Did John Elway Earn His Money?
John Elway was admittedly quite young when he first got involved in various sports — baseball, football, and wrestling — before ultimately quitting the latter around eighth grade. However, it wasn’t until the Port Angeles, Washington, native was playing at Granada Hills High School in California under head coaches Jack Neumeier and Tom Richards that he truly began to thrive as an overall athlete. It thus comes as no surprise that by the time he had graduated, he was among the top recruited high school players/professional prospects in the country in both his favored games.
John was even selected by the Kansas City Royals in the 18th round of the 1979 Major League Baseball draft, but he eventually chose to attend Stanford University to further his experience. Once again, the economics major was a part of both baseball and football, quickly rising to become the star athlete across the campus due to his consistency, determination, and perseverance. Unfortunately, he could never lead his team to a championship, but during his 4-season collegiate stint, he broke every Pacific-10 record for passing and total offense, and was unanimously deemed an All-American.
As if that’s not enough, thanks to his 774 passes, 9,349 yards, 77 touchdowns, and 39 interceptions, 2-time Player of the Year John was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame in 2000. Moreover, it’s imperative to note that before he had even graduated in 1982, he had been selected by the New York Yankees during the 1981 baseball draft to play in their short-season league. In other words, he was hired to play for their affiliate team, the Oneonta Yankees, in the New York-Penn League in the summer of 1982 for around $150,000, following which he turned to football for good.
John was the much-coveted first overall pick in the 1983 NFL draft by the Baltimore Colts, but controversy ensued since he had reportedly already told the team he did not want to play for them. What followed was intense public backlash against him, only for everything to change when the Denver Broncos decided to negotiate with him and close with a $5 million deal for five years. He hence became a member of The Donkeys, with whom he remained for his entire NFL career — he led them to five Super Bowls in 16 years and won his final two, Super Bowl XXXII and Super Bowl XXXIII.
It’s unclear precisely how much John earned each time his contract renewed, but it’s likely he was among the highest-paid in the league, considering his success, skills, reputation, and experience. Moreover, it appears as if when he finally retired in 1998, he lost a significant fortune by never agreeing to an ownership deal, in which the Broncos’ owner offered him 10% of the team for $15 million. If executed, he would have also had the option to buy an additional 10% by forgoing the salary he was owed ($21 million) and becoming a special assistant, which could have led to the position of COO.
Nevertheless, it doesn’t seem like John regrets anything, especially as he was able to return to his beloved franchise as General Manager and Executive Vice President of Operations from 2011 to 2020. Then, the Pro Football Hall of Fame inductee (2004) served as President of Football Operations in 2021 before deciding to gradually fade out after serving as a consultant throughout the 2022-2023 season. Since then, it appears that he has been splitting his time between his loved ones and the world of football, serving as an in-season Broncos specialist commentator on 87.7 The Ticket in Denver, Colorado.
Apart from the world of sports, John is also a proud businessman, with one of his first ventures being a car dealership under the name John Elway Autos. He gradually owned five branches in the Denver area, all of which he sold to AutoNation in 1997 for an astounding $82.5 million, with most of the payment made in stock. However, according to records, he still owns two Toyota Scion dealerships, a Chevrolet dealership, a Chrysler Jeep dealership, and a Cadillac franchise across Colorado and California. It’s also worth noting that he is the owner of four rather famous steakhouse restaurants, all of which are named Elway’s.
John Elway’s Net Worth
Considering John has been active in the world of football and business as a professional since the early 1980s, it is evident that he has accumulated substantial wealth. Unfortunately, we cannot calculate his exact income for all these years, as he has ensured that the details of his finances remain private; yet, we do know he was almost always very well paid. That’s because he was reportedly the highest-paid NFL athlete ever when he closed his initial deal with the Denver Broncos, which likely continued as the years passed by.
The fact that he brought them name, fame, and hope for success with each passing year likely also played a role. Therefore, taking into account all these aspects, along with his co-ownership of the Arena Football team Colorado Crush from its inception in 2002 until the league’s cancellation in 2008 and his philanthropic ventures, we believe the 65-year-old has a net worth of around $150 million as of writing.
Read More: Janet Buchan: What Happened to John Elway’s Ex-Wife?
