As the Denver Broncos prepare to make a third-round pick in April’s NFL Draft, they were thrilled to see Jonah Elliss’ name still on the table.
Denver coach Sean Payton said earlier this season that the team had a second-round pick on the pass rusher out of the University of Utah. They believed he had the tools to be a first-year contributor in a pinch, a need made even greater by the spring injury to Drew Sanders, the previous year’s third-round pick.
There was just one problem. Selecting two picks ahead of the Broncos were the Atlanta Falcons. Their general manager is Terry Fontenot, who previously worked in the New Orleans Saints’ front office as the team’s head coach during Payton’s 16 seasons. And on Atlanta’s roster was a linebacker named Kaden Elliss, Jonah’s brother and a 2019 seventh-round pick of Payton, Fontenot and the Saints.
“I talked to George (Paton, Denver’s general manager). ‘Terry is going to draft that brother. I know it. ‘” Payton said this week. “They drafted another player and of course we were happy to make the selection.
The Falcons selected Washington outside linebacker Bralen Trice, who suffered a season-ending ACL injury in the preseason, with the 74th pick. Two picks later, the Broncos took Jonah Elliss.
Payton’s phone immediately rang with a text message. It was Kaden.
Payton said with a smile. “I’m not going to say what was said, but I would say that exposure to Kaden really helped me understand the football mentality as it pertains to my next choice.”
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Kaden Elliss also didn’t leak many details about the exchange.
“(I) just said, ‘You got a good one,’” the Falcons linebacker said. “There were other stories, but they are true. I’m so happy he’s in Denver and with Sean (and) a great staff. “It’s a good place to be because I have family out west.”
Two weeks after the draft, the NFL’s schedule was released and a date was set for the Ellis family reunion. Kaden and Jonah will face each other in the NFL for the first time on Sunday when the Falcons visit the Broncos in a matchup of two teams trying to take a step toward the playoffs. They both play defense. Kaden is a starting inside linebacker who leads the Falcons with 88 tackles. Jonah, an outside linebacker who plays a role in the pass rush rotation and has two sacks, will likely have no direct conflict between the two brothers.
Unless…
“We might find a way to sneak into special teams matchups,” Kaden said.
Atlanta linebacker Kaden Elliss leads the Falcons with 88 tackles through 10 games. (Jonathan Bachman/Getty Images)
The brothers are two of five members of the Elliss family to make it to the NFL. Christian Elliss is a linebacker for the New England Patriots and Noah Elliss is a defensive tackle who spent time with the Philadelphia Eagles the past two seasons and is a free agent. Along with Kaden and Jonah, they are believed to be the only set of four brothers to have played in the NFL. Jonah said Friday he wouldn’t be surprised to see Utah freshman defensive back Elijah Elliss join his family’s NFL fraternity in the future.
“You can’t help but know Elliss,” Falcons coach Raheem Morris said this week. “There are millions of them.”
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Their father, Luther Elliss, played 10 seasons in the league as a defensive tackle. The first nine came from the Detroit Lions, who drafted him in the first round in 1995 after an All-American college career at Utah. He played his final season with the Broncos in 2004, a fitting final season of a career for someone who grew up in Mancos, Colorado. Elliss later became the Broncos’ team chaplain, serving in that role during the team’s 2015 Super Bowl season.
This 1pm slate is actually quite entertaining as we saw Elliss 55 try to sack Dak, we saw Elliss 52 try to cover Justice Hill, and we saw Elliss 53 step up to tackle Tony Pollard.
— Benjamin Solak (@BenjaminSolak) November 3, 2024
During Elliss’ lone season with the Broncos, it wasn’t uncommon to see the family’s large van pulling up to the team facility. Luther and his wife, Rebecca, have 12 children, seven of whom are adopted. For a family that size, competition was inevitable. Sometimes the fiercest race was the race to get to the dinner table.
“We made a game. We will play every game, every sport under the sun,” Kaden said. “Sometimes it was soccer. Sometimes it was soccer or random games we made up.”
Luther’s career served as a road map. Most Elliss boys didn’t play tackle football until they were in eighth grade. Kaden spent seasons in 5th and 7th grades. But the love of sports that was woven into their collective upbringing grew quickly.
“My dad was definitely able to guide our work,” Kaden said. “So it shows us where we need to improve and what we need to do to get there, not just working hard, but working smart.”
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Sunday’s matchup between the Broncos and Falcons is filled with familiar ties. Falcons safety Justin Simmons spent his first eight years in Denver after the team drafted him with a third-round pick in 2016. Of his 31 career interceptions, 30 came in a Broncos uniform. He and his wife, Taryn Simmons, have become deeply rooted in the Denver community through their work with the Justin Simmons Foundation, and the safety has been a three-time nominee for the team’s Walter Payton Man of the Year. He said this week that he will be a “Bronco for life.” But his focus on Sunday will help the Falcons earn their seventh win.
“It’s one thing to get a few years of practice against him, but it’s going to be fun to get some real bullets,” Broncos wide receiver Courtland Sutton said. “I jokingly said, ‘Bro, if you see me coming in the middle, please remember that we are friends.’”
Meanwhile, Falcons offensive coordinator Zac Robinson grew up in Denver. He was a Broncos fan whose family had season tickets. He later became a standout football player at Chatfield High School in suburban Littleton, Colorado.
“Obviously (my) family was excited to see us going to Denver,” Robinson said. “The atmosphere is difficult to overcome. That’s probably where KC is in the top two in the NFL. “I look forward to returning home.”
This return will be special, but in the NFL there are homecoming games and homecomings every week. A battle of brothers at one of your father’s home stadiums with 30 or more family members? Not much.
“I played with one of my brothers in college, but this is definitely different,” Broncos tight end Adam Trautman said. His locker is next to Jonah’s in Denver and he was previously a teammate of Kaden’s in New Orleans. “Me and my brother have always been competitive and I’m sure they will treat us that way too.”
Broncos rookie Jonah Ellis, 52, has 21 tackles and two sacks for Denver this season. (C. Morgan Engel / Getty Images)
The Elliss aren’t taking Sunday’s opportunity for granted. But in the end, it becomes just another competition in a never-ending competition. Every year, usually during the Fourth of July weekend, the family gathers for the Ellis Olympics. The event is a multi-day event with rotating competitions ranging from corn hole to board games. The event includes a trophy with the winner’s name engraved on it at Luther and Rebecca’s home. Contests may include 30 or more participants, including spouses and close family friends.
Profanity is an inherent part of the spectacle. Jonah shared this week that he and his fiancé are dominating the pickleball competition, which upsets his older brother.
“I think the most anyone has scored against us in a game up to 11 points is three or four.” Jonah said. “We’re pretty good. We killed (Kaden). He didn’t like it.”
But most seem to agree that Kaden sets the pace for the warbling part. So it’s no surprise that the Falcons linebacker, who already has an NFL head-to-head win over Christian when they meet in 2022, had some parting words ahead of his matchup with Jonah.
“I’m 1-0,” he said of the Ellis matchup. “We’ll make it 2-0 this week.”
(Top photo of Kaden and Jonah Elliss:
Todd Kirkland and Justin Edmonds / Getty Images)
