Colts owner Jim Irsay includes John Elway but not Peyton Manning in puzzling all-time NFL top-5 players list

People express grief or sadness in many ways, and Indianapolis Colts owner Jim Irsay chose to express his regarding the death of Hall of Fame running back Jim Brown by declaring he was the greatest player in NFL history. 

Irsay, who turns 64 on June 13, listing Brown as the greatest football player ever is a common refrain from people of his generation who were able to see Brown play live instead of through YouTube clips. Putting Tom Brady, who is the consensus NFL G.O.A.T, as the second-greatest of all-time checks out. However, numbers three and four on Irsay’s list stick out like sore thumb. Irsay put Hall of Fame quarterback John Elway, who refused to play for the Colts after being selected by them first overall in the 1983 NFL Draft, ahead of the best player in franchise history, Hall of Fame quarterback Peyton Manning. Manning, by just about every metric had a better NFL career than Elway.

Peyton Manning vs. John Elway career comparison

* NFL all-time record
** Stood as NFL all-time record at the time of Manning’s retirement

Maybe Irsay put Elway ahead of Manning because he’s a player he couldn’t have. Maybe it’s because Manning went on to have his best NFL season (2013) and win another Super Bowl with a different team, Elway’s Denver Broncos, after releasing the longtime Colt because he missed an entire season with a neck injury. Irsay insists it’s because of the talent gap between Elway’s and Manning’s supporting casts. An intriguing argument, but one could just as easily posit the success of Colts Hall of Famers like wide receiver Marvin Harrison and running back Edgerrin James, not to mention a borderline Hall of Famer in wideout Reggie Wayne, doesn’t happen without Manning’s continuous All-Pro level play. Manning’s clean footwork and throwing mechanics were the standard in pro football for over a decade, yet the Colts owner who witnessed it all said Elway’s movements were better. 

Irsay did also put another clearly lesser player ahead of a clearly superior one at the end of his top five when he put Hall of Fame defensive lineman Deacon Jones over Hall of Fame defensive lineman Reggie White. 

In the end, it’s tough to argue football with someone who also suggested drafting another quarterback, Will Levis, either number two overall or the second round of a 2023 NFL Draft in which they took another quarterback in the top five, Anthony Richardson, the night prior.