Broncos’ John Elway reveals why he would have preferred giving Lombardi trophy to 49ers

Broncos legend John Elway didn’t want to give the Lombardi Trophy to his AFC West rivals.

Denver Broncos fans were sent into an angry frenzy on Super Bowl Sunday. The Kansas City Chiefs won Super Bowl 58, defeating the San Francisco 49ers. Cameras caught Broncos legend John Elway walking the Lombardi Trophy up to a stage to be presented to the Chiefs

This better mean that the Broncos curse is over. Otherwise this is the photo I will be forced to look at in hell for all eternity pic.twitter.com/HhfL4dPPbb

— ThatsGoodSports (@BrandonPerna) February 12, 2024

Broncos fans were seriously miffed over what Elway was doing. But in reality, Elway was selected as an honorary captain to bring the trophy out to whoever won the Super Bowl.

The NFL was celebrating the 25th anniversary of the Broncos’ Super Bowl XXXIII victory. It was just a cruel twist of fate that the winners happened to be the division rival of the Broncos. To add further insult to injury, Super Bowl LVIII was hosted in the Las Vegas Raiders’ stadium.

John Elway — forever the face of the @broncos —having to hand the Lombardi trophy to the Chiefs is something out of a medieval torture chamber.
Why you do me like that NFL?

— Vic Lombardi (@VicLombardi) February 12, 2024

On Tuesday, Elway went on Adam Schefter’s podcast to discuss the whole ordeal.

“I didn’t think about being in the Raiders home-field, but you know I was giving it to the Chiefs. I was really hoping for, obviously good friends with Johnny Lynch and Kyle Shanahan,” said Elway. “The Chiefs played great. Especially that second half. I’d much rather have given it to the 49ers, but you know the Chiefs played great.”

There are plenty of Broncos connections with the 49ers. Plus with the Chiefs being a division rival, it’s understandable Elway had a clear preference on who he’d hand the trophy to. Regardless of who won, Elway said he enjoyed being a part of the experience.

It was fun to be down there, been a long time since I’d been back down on the field, especially at a Super Bowl,” said Elway. “It was great being down there, reminiscing about the feelings of what that game was all about and how much it means to everybody.”