Elway on Super Bowl Presentation: 'Rather Have Given It to 49ers'
John Elway ruffled more than a few feathers in Broncos Country at the conclusion of Super Bowl 58 as the iconic quarterback hand-delivered the Lombardi Trophy to the Kansas City Chiefs, who defeated the San Francisco 49ers, 25-22, in overtime at Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas.
It was a surreal sight, the famed "Duke of Denver" rubbing elbows with his once-hated rival — the same rival he failed to vanquish over his final half-decade as Broncos general manager.
It was also largely out of his control. Elway attended the game as an honorary captain, marking the 25th anniversary of his own Super Bowl triumph, and he (along with fellow Hall-of-Famer Larry Csonka) was tasked with delivering the goods to the victor.
Elway, admittedly, would've preferred a different outcome, relaying the trophy to a Niners squad loaded with orange-and-blue influence: GM John Lynch, a Broncos Ring-of-Famer; head coach Kyle Shanahan, son of legendary Broncos coach Mike Shanahan; and running back Christian McCaffrey, son of Elway's former star wide receiver, Ed McCaffrey.
“I didn’t think about being in the Raiders home field, but you know I was giving it to the Chiefs," he told ESPN's Adam Schefter on Tuesday, via DenverSports.com. "I was really hoping for, obviously good friends with Johnny Lynch and Kyle Shanahan. 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.”
The Chiefs overcame a 10-point hole in regulation and a three-point deficit in OT to secure its third title in five years. QB Patrick Mahomes, whom Elway believes is ascending toward "all-time great" status, earned MVP honors after accounting for 399 total yards and two touchdowns.
Which, unlike being behind enemy lines, was a familiar experience for No. 7.
“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,” Elway said. “It was great being down there, reminiscing about the feelings of what that game was all about and how much it means to everybody.”
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