In one of the craziest draft scenarios of all time, the Baltimore Colts make Stanford quarterback John Elway the top overall pick of the 1983 Draft but are forced to ship him to The Mile High City
On April 26th, 1983, Stanford quarterback John Elway was chosen as the first pick of the 1983 National Football League Draft by the Baltimore Colts, despite saying he would not play for the team. Handcuffed by their draftee’s decision, they would deal him to Denver in what would become a destiny-changing move.
The Colts ultimately had little leverage. With John Elway publicly unwilling to play in Baltimore—and even holding baseball as a viable alternative—the franchise pivoted quickly, sending him to the Denver Broncos in exchange for quarterback Mark Herrmann, the rights to Chris Hinton (the fourth overall pick), and a future first-round selection that became Ron Solt. It was a rare moment where a player’s will reshaped the draft board in real time, forcing an organization’s hand and redirecting the trajectory of two franchises. For Denver, it wasn’t just a transaction—it was an arrival, the beginning of a partnership that would define an era.
In Denver, Elway became both constant and catalyst. His early years were defined by late-game heroics—none more iconic than “The Drive” in the 1986 AFC Championship—carrying the Broncos to three Super Bowl appearances in his first decade. Though those early trips ended in defeat, they hardened both quarterback and franchise. By the late 1990s, with a more complete roster around him, Elway delivered the long-awaited payoff, leading Denver to back-to-back Super Bowl titles to close his career.
He retired as one of the game’s most prolific and resilient competitors, a quarterback whose arm, mobility, and defiance of circumstance turned a draft-day standoff into a Hall of Fame legacy.