John Elway admitted he’d rather not have given Lombardi Trophy to Chiefs

What made Super Bowl LVIII even sweeter for Chiefs fans was how the noses of two AFC West rivals were rubbed in the victory.

The Chiefs picked up the first postseason win in Allegiant Stadium history and celebrated in the Raiders locker room. And who brought the Lombardi Trophy out for the Chiefs to receive?

Former Broncos quarterback John Elway.

While on “The Adam Schefter Podcast,” Elway admitted he’d rather not have handed the championship trophy to the Chiefs.

“Well, I didn’t think about being in the Raiders home field, but I knew I was giving it to the Chiefs,” Elway said. “I was really hoping for, obviously good friends with Johnny Lynch and Kyle Shanahan. Really was rooting for them. But it was a tremendous game and the Chiefs played great, especially that second half, came back.

“I’d much rather have given it to the 49ers, but the Chiefs played great and played well enough to win that football game. (Patrick) Mahomes came through for them and so it was good to see him up there. I think he’s gonna be one of the greatest greats of all time.”

Lynch is the 49ers general manager, while Shanahan, the team’s coach, is the son of former Denver coach Mike Shanahan.

Elway said he enjoyed being on the field at a Super Bowl.

“It was fun to be down there. It’s been a long time since I’ve been back down on the field, especially at a Super Bowl,” Elway said. “So it was really kind of fun. I got pushed back about four or five times. They said I couldn’t be on the sidelines or too close to the field. But it was great being down there, reminiscing about the feelings of what that game was all about and how much it means to everybody.”

Broncos fans, however, were not pleased, and many expressed their feelings on X (formerly Twitter). Here’s a bit of what they were saying.