Mile High Huddle

7 Candidates Garnering Insider Buzz for Broncos' GM Opening

When it comes to the open GM position, these are the names Broncos fans need to familiarize themselves with.
Bob Morris|
7 Candidates Garnering Insider Buzz for Broncos' GM Opening
7 Candidates Garnering Insider Buzz for Broncos' GM Opening

On Monday, John Elway announced he will step aside as Denver Broncos general manager while retaining his position as president of football operations. Elway has one year left on his current deal and will, more or less, be in the type of role that Ozzie Newsome held in his final year in Baltimore, after he, too, was 'elevated' above this long-held GM role. 

Elway will oversee the Broncos' operation, but relinquish more input to a successor GM. Unlike the Ravens, the successor will come from outside the current front office and is likely to be somebody who's worked for the Broncos in the past. 

With that said, those personnel people with ties to the Broncos also rank among the top GM candidates that other teams plan to interview. Several Broncos and NFL insiders have already mentioned a few names. 

Here's a comprehensive look at the top candidates for now and each guy's respective resume. 

Champ Kelly, Chicago Bears

Kelly, the Bears assistant director of pro personnel, has ties to the Broncos and head coach Vic Fangio. Kelly previously worked for the Broncos from 2007-2014, before joining the Bears in 2015.

He is perhaps best known for his work in free agency and trades. Kelly helped land Peyton Manning to the Broncos and a host of others that followed, such as Emmanuel Sanders, Aqib Talib, and DeMarcus Ware. Kelly is also credited with engineering the trade that landed the Bears Khalil Mack.

The question to ask is what Kelly will be looking for in the NFL draft, a crucial part of a GM's work. He interviewed with the New York Jets last season and the Atlanta Falcons reportedly have interest in him.

For what it's worth, Benjamin Albright has Kelly as the early favorite in the clubhouse. Kelly also has an endorsement from ex-Broncos/current Charger Chris Harris, Jr. Kelly is definitely a name to put near the top of the list.

Adam Peters, San Francisco 49ers

Another man with ties to the Broncos, the 49ers vice president of player personnel has been a hot name for GM jobs. He was with the Broncos from 2009-2016 before joining the 49ers front office.

Peters is best known for his scouting work, and one need only look to the Broncos' 2011 and 2012 drafts and undrafted signings to see the players he found, from Von Miller to Orlando Franklin, from Julius Thomas to Chris Harris, from Derek Wolfe to Malik Jackson to Danny Trevathan.

Peters' input into the 49ers' drafts has netted the likes of Fred Warner, Nick Bosa, Deebo Samuel, Mike McGlinchey, and George Kittle. Peters' past ties to the Broncos have several insiders, such as Troy Renck, mentioning him as a candidate for the Denver job.

However, Peters is getting a serious look from other teams, with the Carolina Panthers already scheduled to interview him. If the Broncos are interested, they may need to act fast.

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John Spytek, Tampa Bay Buccaneers

The director of player personnel for the Bucs since 2016, Spytek previously worked as a scout for the Broncos from 2013-15. He also spent time with the Cleveland Browns.

Spytek has had input into both free agency and the draft, so he's had a role in the free-agent signings the Broncos consummated years ago. He is also linked to Shaquil Barrett, whom the Broncos added as a college free agent in 2014, and then lured him to sign with the Bucs.

During Spytek's time with the Bucs, the team added Chris Godwin, Vita Vea, and Devin White in the draft, and helped recruit Tom Brady to the Bucs in free agency this past year.

ESPN's Jeremy Fowler has mentioned Spytek as a candidate because of his previous ties to the Broncos. He wasn't with the team as long as Kelly or Peters, but he may be another name to add to the list.

Rick Smith, ex-Houston Texans

Smith is another familiar name to the Broncos, having worked on the coaching staff from 1996-99, then joining the front office from 2000-05 as director of pro personnel.

After the 2006 draft, Smith was named the new general manager of the Texans. His drafting record from 2007-2017 is impressive.

There's Amobi Okoye, Duane Brown, Connor Barwin, Kareem Jackson, J.J. Watt, Brooks Reed, Whitney Mercilus, Brandon Brooks, DeAndre Hopkins, Jadeveon Clowney, Benardrick McKinney, Nick Martin, Zach Cunningham, and DeShaun Watson. That's quite a list of talent there.

Smith stepped down after the 2017 season to be with his wife, who was diagnosed with breast cancer. While Smith kept his position as executive vice president of football operations, he was removed from the team's front office page in 2018 and is no longer with the organization.

Woody Paige indicated that Smith may likely interview for the Broncos job. If you want an experienced GM with a good track record, Smith is a strong candidate.

Dave Ziegler, New England Patriots

Ziegler started his career with the Broncos in 2010 when Josh McDaniels was head coach. Ziegler was promoted to assistant director of player personnel with the Patriots this past season.

He has spent eight seasons with the Patriots scouting department, during which time the Patriots have found some good players in later rounds of the drafts, such as Jamie Collins, Logan Ryan, James White, Shaq Mason, Trey Flowers, and Joe Thuney.

Of note with the Broncos is one of the current defensive backs, Duke Dawson, who was a player drafted under Ziegler's watch in New England. And when with the Broncos in 2010, the draft netted key contributors in Eric Decker and Zane Beadles, plus one of the best wide receivers to ever play for the Broncos — Demaryius Thomas.

Ziegler hasn't been mentioned a lot, aside from Mike Klis including him among names who have connections to the Broncos. I'm not sure I would put Ziegler that high on the list at this time, though.

Thomas Dimitroff, ex-Atlanta Falcons

Dimitroff spent 12 years as the general manager of the Falcons and deserves credit for building Atlanta into a playoff contender. His first few years with the team saw him find a lot of quality players in the draft.

In 2008, Dimitroff selected Matt Ryan in the first round, who turned into the franchise quarterback the Falcons could build around. From there, Dimitroff added the likes of Sean Weatherspoon, Julio Jones, Desmond Trufant, Robert Alford, Jake Matthews, Devonta Freeman, and Grady Jarrett.

Dimitroff's more recent drafts, though, haven't panned out as consistently, though he did find a keeper in Calvin Ridley in 2018. But Dimitroff was fired midway through the 2020 season.

Klis mentioned Dimitroff because of his ties to ex-Broncos director of player personnel Matt Russell, but I'm not seeing Dimitroff as a serious candidate. It wouldn't surprise me if he passes on GM jobs for now, either taking a year off or settling for a front-office position under another GM.

Kevin Kelly, Los Angeles Chargers

The director of college scouting for the Chargers, Kelly has been with that team since 2013, having previously been with the New York Jets, Indianapolis Colts, and Cleveland Browns.

The Chargers have certainly had a knack for finding quality players in the draft since 2013, such as Keenan Allen, Jason Verrett, Joey Bosa, Hunter Henry, Mike Williams, and Derwin James. And then there are the two players the Chargers drafted under Kelly who are now with the Broncos: Melvin Gordon and Jeremiah Attaochu.

Kelly has no previous ties to the Broncos, but his name was brought up Cecil Lammey. You might consider Kelly a dark horse candidate at this time.

This list could quickly evolve but for now, they're the names being connected most to the Broncos' GM vacancy. Keep checking back here at Mile High Huddle for updates in real-time. 

Follow Bob on Twitter @BobMorrisSports and @MileHighHuddle. 

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Bob Morris
BOB MORRIS

Bob Morris has served as Mile High Huddle's resident Cap Analyst covering the Denver Broncos and NFL since 2017. His works have been featured on Scout.com, 247Sports.com, CBSSports.com and BleacherReport.com.

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