Denver’s mayor had a clear message when Denver7 Chief Investigator Tony Kovaleski asked him about the prospect of a future for the Broncos outside of the city: “Over my dead body.”
Rumors have swirled since the Walton-Penner group – the richest owners in the NFL – took control of the Broncos in 2022 whether new ownership meant plans for a new stadium. Nearly three years later, no official plans have been announced, but, with the team’s lease on Empower Field at Mile High expiring in early 2031, those rumors have picked up in 2025.
Denver7’s partners at The Denver Post reported on a series of property acquisitions near Burnham Yard by groups linked to the NFL franchise that have fueled speculation of a potential move to the area on the southwestern outskirts of downtown. Meanwhile, Broncos General Manager George Paton has mentioned possibilities from the current site to neighboring cities like Lone Tree and Aurora as being in the mix, saying in April that the team hadn’t “ruled anything out.”
Kovaleski sat down with Denver Mayor Mike Johnston this week, as the mayor marked two years in office and as he prepared for Monday’s State of the City address: Can you tell the people of Denver, the Broncos aren't moving?
He said he’s “optimistic” the team will stay put.
“I can say the same thing I said when I started on day one, which is, it'll be over my dead body that the Denver Broncos leave Denver,” Johnston said. “I mean, I am a lifetime, diehard Broncos fan. My dad woke me up in the middle of the night, the night that John Elway got drafted. I remember that moment today.”
“[The Broncos] are a critical cultural institution of this city and this state, and we think they belong in Denver,” he continued. “I've been working for years with the ownership group there at the Broncos. I think they are great people who are committed to the city long term, and I think they want the same things that we want. So I'm very optimistic we'll get to a good outcome.”
Kovaleski covered a range of other topics during the roughly 25-minute interview, from his successes and failures over the last two years to what’s next for his administration – and taking questions from Denverites straight to the mayor on immigration, homelessness and the city’s bike lanes.
- Watch the entire interview in the video player below: