In the 2018 NFL Draft, John Elway of the Denver Broncos attempted to trade for a certain quarterback, but the New York Giants ignored him.

The Denver Broncos, who traded the farm for Russell Wilson just two years ago, are once again searching for a new starting quarterback. The Broncos are used to this by now. Since 2015, they have been attempting to replace Peyton Manning’s cleats. Prior to that, it was attempting to fill the position vacated by John Elway following 1998.

Remarkably, after winning another Super Bowl, both Hall of Fame quarterbacks retired and rode off into the sunset. The Broncos, though? They were left breathing heavily. But it’s not like the Broncos haven’t made an effort to find a quarterback, most recently with Wilson, but Denver seemed ready to make a significant move once before.

The Denver Broncos had recently finished with a 5-11 record, with Trevor Siemian finishing as the team’s top passer. The Broncos were in dire need of a more capable replacement as a result. When free agency opened, they turned to Case Keenum, the man who was a part of the Minneapolis Miracle. The Broncos signed Keenum to a two-year, $36 million contract because they wanted to see whether he could recapture the magic he had with the Vikings.

Despite starting every one of the Broncos’ 16 games, Keenum only managed a 6-10 record. Nevertheless, it appears like the Broncos were hoping to get Keenum as a first-round pick who might eventually take over as the starting quarterback, or as a temporary stopgap.

As per NFL insider Connor Hughes, the Broncos had that precise idea in mind when they selected players in the 2018 NFL Draft. During a recent interview on WFAN Sports Radio, Hughes talked about how he later found out that the Broncos’ general manager at the time, John Elway, attempted to trade up to the No. 2 overall choice in order to choose USC quarterback Sam Darnold.

The only team unwilling to deal was the New York Giants, who had the second overall pick. Giants general manager David Gettleman was reportedly so focused on picking Saquon Barkley that he didn’t even bother to answer the phone at the time. Remember, no other running back has been selected so high since.

Given that Darnold is currently on his third NFL team since being chosen, the Broncos may not have been quite satisfied with him in the end either. Who knows, though? Had he been offered a new chance in Denver rather than New York, where they had similarly failed to find a long-term franchise solution, perhaps the course of events would have been different.

For the record, the Broncos held onto their No. 5 pick and chose Bradley Chubb, who is no longer in Denver but has grown into a Pro Bowl edge rusher. The Broncos’ biggest mistake of the selection was passing up Wyoming quarterback Josh Allen, who has since emerged as an MVP contender and a player who some have even likened to Elway. The Buffalo Bills moved up to selection number six, and Allen was chosen just one pick after Denver selected Chubb. That one needs to hurt.