Denver Broncos Part Ways with General Manager Brian Xanders

The winds of change are whipping Mile High Stadium once again, this time in a reshuffling of the Denver Broncos front office.

According to Mike Klis of The Denver Post, the Broncos have decided to part ways with GM Brian Xanders, signaling a shift of power in John Elway's favor.

Xanders first joined the organization after the 2008 NFL draft, when then-head coach/president of football operations Mike Shanahan hired him to be the team's assistant general manager. He was later promoted to GM when Josh McDaniels was brought in to fill Shanahan's role in 2009.

Xanders was responsible, at least in part, for Denver's drafts in 2010 and 2011, which yielded stars like Tim Tebow and Von Miller, along with a slew of steady contributors (i.e. Eric Decker, Zane Beadles, J.D. Walton, Demaryius Thomas, Perrish Cox, Quinton Carter and Rahim Moore).

The 41-year-old Pennsylvania native was also instrumental in acclimating Elway to life as an NFL executive. Broncos owner Pat Bowlen added Elway to the team's front office last year, and since then, he's traded Tebow to the New York Jets and signed Peyton Manning in free agency.

Xanders still had one year remaining on his contract, but reportedly opted to leave the organization on mutual terms, in part because he never had final say on personnel decisions during his time in Denver.

His departure likely paves the way for Elway to fill a bigger role in the organization. The former Broncos great has already done some restructuring, promoting Matt Russell from director of college scouting to director of player personnel and hiring former agent Mike Sullivan to oversee contract negotiations and salary-cap particulars.

In other words, it's John Elway's world in Denver now, and Brian Xanders is no longer a part of it.

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