64 years, 3 Super Bowls, 8 conference titles, and 15 divisional titles have seen legendary names and crowd favorites cement themselves in Broncos lore. Alas, Mount Rushmore has only 4 spots, with NFL Throwback’s video naming its four picks for the honor. Can you guess who made it, or, more alarmingly, who didn’t? Floyd Little, Champ Bailey, and Jason Elam did not. Well, let’s focus on the four Broncos gridiron icons that were given a distinguished place among the Denver Broncos’ team-by-team “Mount Rushmore” football royalty.

Leading the list is Shannon Sharpe. The former NFL TE, who quite memorably called the President from the sidelines during a game against New England in 1996, is still the aspiration for active tight ends. Why? Even 22 years after Broncos vs Chiefs at the Arrowhead, every TE aspires to register the 215th receiving yard in a single game. Single-game accomplishment aside, Sharpe won 2 Super Bowls, accumulated 8,439 receiving yards, and registered 55 touchdowns in 10 seasons in ‘The Centennial State’. Joining the 2011 Pro Football Hall of Famer in NFL Throwback’s list are three names who lifted the Pete Rozelle Trophy— John Elway, Terrell Davis, and Von Miller.

John Elway spent 16 years with the Broncos, becoming the first from the franchise to secure the MVP in 1987. This would have come as him living up to the expectations, especially after his six fourth-quarter comebacks in 1985 and, more importantly, ‘The Drive’. Who can ever forget the closing minutes from the 1986 AFC Championship Game at Cleveland? Elway drove the offense forward for 98 yards, drawing level on the 15th play with a passing TD to Mark Jackson to head into overtime on the road. Though the Broncos advanced to the Super Bowl XXI, they lost to the Giants.

But Elway—managed to bring the Lombardi Trophy to the ‘Mile High City’—after the Broncos beat Green Bay (31-24) at Super Bowl XXXII. Well, he was a part of it. A year later, he earned the Super Bowl MVP award for his efforts (336 passing yards, 1 TD) in the Broncos’ win over the Falcons.

Super Bowl XXXII saw Elway’s first Lombardi Trophy win, but Terrell Davis earned individual honors (Super Bowl MVP) at Qualcomm Stadium. His output of three 1-yard touchdowns, including the game-winning one with 1:45 left in regulation, saw the Broncos snap a 0-4 Super Bowl record. A year after his MVP win, he solidified his legacy by becoming the fourth player in history to rush for over 2,000 yards (2,008 yards, to be precise).

Interesting fact: As of 2024, Davis remains the most recent running back to be named Super Bowl MVP.

Rounding out the list was 2x Super Bowl champion Von Miller. His MVP effort in Super Bowl 50 (2½ sacks and six tackles) against the Panthers (24-10) cemented his place in Broncos history as one of the team’s all-time top tacklers. The highlight of the game was when he sacked Cam Newton and caused a fumble which was retrieved and converted into the game’s first TD at under 7 minutes remaining in the first quarter.
Interesting fact: In the history of the NFL, only nine defensive players have been awarded the prestigious Super Bowl MVP, and Miller is the latest one to win in 2016 (only the fourth LB to win the MVP title after Chuck Howley, Ray Lewis, and Malcolm Smith).

Considering how the Broncos have won three Super Bowl titles and eight AFC championships, with eight primary members in the Pro Football Hall of Fame ever since 1984 when Pat Bowlen first started serving as the team’s CEO, it would be fitting to see one of the legends of the franchise take the team by the helm as the head coach. When it comes to Sharpe, unfortunately, coaching isn’t on the cards.

Nothing could drive Shannon Sharpe back to the Mile-High City, let alone the late owner’s request 

Former Broncos’ TE Shannon Sharpe and team owner, late Pat Bowlen, had the unusual kind of boss-player dynamic. One time, when Bowlen was passing the locker room to get to a meeting, Sharpe would cut up shorts and wear them with high socks in a way that would make anyone blush crimson with embarrassment. The lengths Sharpe would go to just to get a reaction out of him, and this time, it worked. Bowlen retorted, “You (bleep)!”

The member of the 2019 class of the Pro Football Hall of Fame loved and respected the competitor in Sharpe. Probably because he, too, was not all that different from Sharpe himself. Take this, for instance: In the decade Sharpe was with the Broncos (1990-1999), Bowlen would challenge the TE every day at the gym until he could run longer on the treadmill and get better numbers on the bike.

Would it surprise you when Sharpe disclosed in a podcast with NightCap two months ago, “I’ve been really really blessed… I know I get the same love and adulation from the Broncos’ fans here. I mean, being in the city, all they wanna ask about, ‘Shannon, we gonna win.’ Eh! Shannon can’t come back and do nothing. Y’all gonna lose more with me out there than [what] you’re losing right now.” 

If that still didn’t clear things up for you, this definitely should. The host then asked specifically, “I’m just curious. Hypothetically speaking, what happens if things don’t work out with Sean Payton? Asks you to become the head coach?”  

“But I wanna be no coach. Mr. Bowlen wanted me to come work for the Broncos. I don’t wanna work in no football capacity like that.” While ‘Unc’ expressed gratitude for the Broncos faithful, his attention is on his pursuits outside of football.

Regardless, Sharpe’s heart has always belonged to the Broncos. After starting his football career with the Denver Broncos in 1990, Shannon Sharpe played with the Baltimore Ravens for two seasons (2000-2001) and earned a Lombardi Trophy win in 2000.

Sharpe caught 73 passes in his last season with the Ravens, which registered as his highest total since 1996 when he had 80 with the Broncos. He was signed by the Broncos, which was actually a 7-year contract with a $800,000 signing bonus and a base salary that was estimated to be around $750,000. Interestingly, the signing was done with an understanding that he would play for just one season (2002) before retiring as a Broncos player.

While Broncos faithful may want their legend back on the team in a coaching capacity, it seems Sharpe is currently more focused on his off-field endeavors.