Ever since the sporting world became aware that Peyton Manning wouldn’t take a single snap in the 2011 season, they’ve been wondering when, where, and if he’d take another one. As of Monday morning, those questions were answered.
Peyton Manning will be the starting quarterback of the Denver Broncos.
Monday morning, Manning’s agent called the Broncos and told them that they would begin hammering out details for his contract. Shortly after Manning himself called the Broncos with the news, he simultaneously broke the hearts of fans in Tennessee and San Francisco; the two teams who also held out for Manning the past few weeks.
“Obviously I am disappointed, because I thought we would be a perfect fit,” said Tennessee owner Bud Adams, in an official statement released Monday.
The details of the contract are going to be a mere formality. According to Adam Schefter of ESPN, Manning’s deal will be worth $95 million over 5 years. The Broncos don’t seem to be worried about his neck or any other potential ailments, as he passed a physical and had a lengthy workout in Denver over the past weekend. Clearly, he was true to his past form.
But now, there are questions that surround this excellent offseason acquisition. He played his 12 seasons in Indianapolis with Jeff Saturday under center, and Saturday’s a free agent this season. The Broncos have cleared out enough space for Manning, and reportedly have done the same to bring in Saturday. This may have been a potential signing bonus for Manning. The guy wants his old center underneath him for protection calls. There’s a wonderful chemistry that a center and quarterback can have, and Manning had developed that in Indianapolis.
If Saturday is added, the Broncos will be just about set, and will clearly be the favorite in a weak AFC West. They have a stellar defense with LB Von Miller, DE Elvis Dumervil, and CB Champ Bailey. Combined with the beautifully aging RB Willis McGahee, who racked up 1200 yards on the ground in 2011, and you’ve got yourself a contender.
As a result of the Manning signing, the Tim Tebow issue comes up. Despite Tebowmania, Denver has stated that they will indeed be putting him on the trading block Tuesday.
It’s important to remember, that although he was a dual threat with his running ability, the Broncos were last in the league in passing efficiency. John Elway, VP of the Broncos, seems content with ridding Denver of Tebow for as little as a fourth round pick. Odds are he’ll end up in Jacksonville; a team looking for publicity.
They need a quarterback, too. Tebow should fit right into Jacksonville. He’s a living legend in Florida and it would do the entire league some good to stow him away with the Jaguars.
Now, teams like the San Francisco 49ers, the Miami Dolphins, and the Tennessee Titans will have to look elsewhere for quarterback help.
Indianapolis will be fine with Andrew Luck going in the top spot in the NFL Draft, Washington traded four picks and the kitchen sink to move up four spots to snag Heisman winning QB Robert Griffin III, and Seattle signed Green Bay backup QB Matt Flynn.
Right now, the 49ers might want to apologize to free agent QB Alex Smith and re-sign him as soon as possible. The Dolphins and the Titans are stuck, though. They might be dwelling in NFL mediocrity for years to come.
But back to Manning. Denver has been looking for a franchise quarterback since John Elway (now VP of Operations) retired after winning a Super Bowl at age 38. With Peyton at 36 years of age, Elway knows the pieces he’ll need to provide as a supporting cast. He’s already on the right track with star WR Demaryius Thomas and big man Eric Decker, who managed to snag 8 and 4 touchdowns, respectively from Tebow. Imagine the damage they’ll do with a future first ballot Hall of Famer throwing to them.
It’s an interesting time for Broncos fans, who will now have to trade out their #15 Tebow jerseys for #18 Manning jerseys. Though the #18 has been retired by the Broncos, Frank Tripucka, the man who retired the jersey sees no problem with having it dusted off for 2012.
“He should have it. Let’s give it to him,” the 84 year old Tripucka said Monday.
Everyone is making room for Manning in Denver. So, Tim Tebow: Enjoy being ESPN’s top story for the next few weeks regarding your future. Denver wishes you the best. Manning Watch ends as Tebow Watch 2.0 begins.
Greg Spracklin can be reached at gspracklin@spartans.ut.edu.
True. Locker could learn a lot from Hasselbeck. Hasselbeck’s proven himself in the NFL. Give that experience to a second string Locker for a year and a half and he could end up being a solid starter. However, Bud Adams’ pursuit of Manning could have shaken up Hassselbeck’s and Locker’s confidences.
What about Mathew Hasselbeck & Locker? Not Manning, but very solid QB’s.