What could have been?
John Elway announced his retirement from the NFL on May 2, 1999. One year later, Steve Young announced his retirement on June 13, 2000, after numerous concussions, including one that ended his 1999 season.
Mike Shanahan, who served as the Denver Broncos‘ head coach from 1995-2008, wanted Young to reunite with him in Denver. Shanahan previously coached Young as an offensive coordinator with the San Francisco 49ers.
Young ended up retiring instead, a decision that he and his wife now regret.
“I spent time some in Denver and we were ready to — we were thinking about it,” Young said during an interview on the Pardon My Take podcast this week. “He [Shanahan] was all in. He was all in, and I just — I don’t know. My wife says that’s one of the things I … we were newly married at the time and she regrets not like pushing me harder to do it. I was kind of emotionally cooked.”
The Broncos went 11-5 in 2000 with Brian Griese under center. Twenty-four years later, Young admitted that he regrets not reuniting with Shanahan.
“I regret — I should have jumped in,” Young said. “I would have played 2000 to maybe two or three years, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003 would have been the years I played in Denver if I would have done it.”
Steve Young was almost a Bronco after John Elway retired pic.twitter.com/iOEuuAI94a
— Pardon My Take (@PardonMyTake) December 11, 2024
Young was a backup behind Joe Montana when the 49ers won Super Bowls XXIII and XXIV. After Montana’s retirement, Young won Super Bowl XXIX with San Francisco. Elway retired after winning Super Bowls XXXII and XXXIII with Denver. One can’t help but wonder if Shanahan and Young might have won another Super Bowl with the Broncos had the QB not retired.
