DENVER — It took John Elway 15 years to experience a parade as a quarterback. As an executive, only five.

The Broncos general manager, however, won’t have much time to celebrate. Fresh challenges await the architect of Denver’s third NFL championship.

Job No. 1 is keeping this destructive defense together. That starts with re-signing Super Bowl 50 MVP Von Miller, whose monster game helped Peyton Manning become the NFL’s first 200-game winner and set the stage for him to walk away a champion as Elway did 17 years ago.

Elway wants to keep Brock Osweiler, who’s set to become a free agent.

Manning and Miller were the biggest topics when Elway and coach Gary Kubiak met with the media before the Broncos parade through downtown Tuesday.

They again lauded the wicked defense that snatched both the leather and the silver footballs from Cam Newton’s grasp Sunday night in Santa Clara, California.

“I can still remember about a week into training camp I looked at Gary and said, `I think we are going to be a pretty darn good defense,”’ Elway said.

While a franchise tag could buy Elway time to work out a deal with Miller that’s sure to top the $52.5 million guaranteed in Justin Houston’s contract, the Broncos could find themselves in a quarterback quandary if Manning retires and somebody outbids them for Osweiler.

Elway has no timetable for Manning to make up his mind about his future.