The Denver Broncos season has ended, but they are still making headlines. And this time, it’s not about a trade or firing. It’s bigger than all of this, something that left former player Ed McCaffrey giving a huge shoutout to his former team. Wondering what the buzz is about? Well, it’s about helmets, high school, and a whole lot of goodwill.

The Broncos’ owner, the Walton-Penner Family Ownership Group, has kicked off a new philanthropic program. As part of this, they’re giving away over 15,000 brand-new Riddell Axiom helmets for free to every high school program in Colorado. And Ed McCaffrey couldn’t be more proud of his old team.

He shared the post on his Instagram story, giving a big shoutout to the Broncos for their social effort. “Wow! (clapping emoji) Major props to the Walter-Penner Family & @broncos for making this $12 M commitment to Colorado’s Student-Athletes. Safety First! This is what leadership looks like!#broncoscountry.”

The 56-year-old veteran also left a comment on the Broncos’ post, writing, ‘This is amazing.’ Ed played with the Broncos for nine seasons in his 13-year career. He also won Super Bowl XXXIII with the team when John Elway was the QB. In 2003, tired from the constant injuries, Ed retired from football. Since then, he has been coaching high school and college football teams. 

And because he has coached high school teams, you can understand why Ed McCaffrey was so moved by his former team’s philanthropic efforts.

What is ‘All IN. ALL COVERED.?’

On Tuesday, the Broncos, on their official IG handle, proudly announced, “ALL IN. ALL COVERED.” Sean Payton‘s Broncos are stepping up in a big way. They’re donating over 15,000 Riddell Axiom football helmets to every single high school program in the state. Yeah, you heard that right. Every. Single. One. And we’re not just talking about a handful of schools here -this includes every team in Colorado’s highest classification, 5A.

Carrie Walton Penner, the co-owner of the Broncos, shared, “The Denver Broncos Foundation is proud to launch all in. All covered., a game-changing program designed to have a lasting impact on Colorado youth for years to come. Aligned with our foundation values of equity and innovation, this first-of-its-kind initiative will positively influence how schools and governing bodies prioritize student-athlete health and safety. All in. All covered. demonstrates our deep commitment to community-wide collaboration and would not be possible without Riddell, CHSAA, and our organization working together to bring this to life.”

It’s not just a one-and-done kind of thing, either. The Broncos are playing the long game with this. Each school will get 25% of its helmets every year, based on roster sizes, so it’s spread out and sustainable. The first wave of helmets? They’ll hit the field in the 2025 prep season, and the program will keep rolling through 2028. Oh, and it’s not just helmets -they’re throwing in extra face masks, visors, and even a subscription to some high-tech analytics system to help coaches keep players safe.

The bottom line is that it’s a pretty cool move by Ed McCaffrey’s former team. And it’s hard not to respect them for this great initiative.