After celebrating the Broncos by recognizing their players (and a coach) who could someday be enshrined in the Pro Football Hall of Fame, we flip the script to give you Denver’s Hall of Shame.
Worst breakup: Mike Shanahan
Shanahan was the organization’s best head coach, leading the team from 1995 to 2008. He guided the Broncos to two Super Bowl titles (XXXII and XXXIII) and won 138 games, the most in franchise history. Nonetheless, Denver made a stunning move, firing him in December 2008 after missing the playoffs for three straight seasons.
Shanahan deserved better. Even without HOF quarterback John Elway, the HC led Denver to four playoff appearances and only had two losing seasons during his Broncos tenure.
“Shocked,” Denver QB Jay Cutler said of the firing at the time.
The Broncos replaced Shanahan with Josh McDaniels, who flopped. In two seasons as Denver HC, McDaniels posted a losing record (11-17) and made no playoff appearances. The Broncos fired him 12 games into the 2010 season and finished 4-12.
Worst draft pick: QB Paxton Lynch
After Peyton Manning retired in 2016, the Broncos selected Lynch with the 26th overall pick in the draft, hoping he would be their next franchise QB. Lynch was raw but had a big arm, so the selection seemed reasonable.
Lynch failed to meet lofty expectations, though. In two seasons with the Broncos, he went 1-3 as a starter, completed 61.7 percent of his passes and posted a 24.9 QBR, well below the league average. The Broncos waived the former first-rounder in 2018.
“I’m sad to see him leave, but I’m happy for him because he needs the change of scenery. I remember that second preseason game [in 2018], we were playing against the Bears. He goes in and the crowd is just booing him. It does something to you as a player,” Broncos receiver Emmanuel Sanders told the media.
Lynch never latched on with another NFL team.
Worst free-agency signing: QB Case Keenum
Mostly a career backup, Keenum had one fabulous season with Minnesota as a starter, leading the Vikings to the NFC Championship Game. Denver believed Keenum could solve its QB problem and signed him to a two-year, $36M deal in 2018.
But Keenum was awful in Denver. In 16 games, he threw 15 interceptions—tied for the second most in the league—finished 29th in passer rating (81.2) and 26th in completion percentage (60.4 percent). The Broncos went 6-10. Denver quickly moved on from Keenum, trading him to Washington in 2019.
Worst loss: Super Bowl XXIV on Jan. 28, 1990
This Super Bowl stands out for the lopsided score: 49ers 55, Broncos 10, the largest margin of victory in the game’s history.
“The 49ers did what every expert said they would do: dominate us,” Denver coach Dan Reeves told the media. “They’re playing at a level right now not many people have ever matched. They’re playing as well as anybody has ever played. They’re incredible.”
It was the Broncos’ third Super Bowl loss in four years, making the defeat more frustrating for Denver fans and Elway. In four of the next six seasons, Denver missed the playoffs, and it wouldn’t return to the Super Bowl for eight years.
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