Peyton Manning

Broncos Notes: Manning, Marshall, Sanders

May 28th, 2016 at 9:52am CST by Ben Levine

While the Broncos have been focusing most of their energy on a long-term deal for Von Miller, several of the linebacker’s teammates are also awaiting potential extensions. This includes linebacker Brandon Marshall, who hasn’t signed the one-year, $2.533MM tender he was slapped with.

Of course, there’s no need to panic in Denver, as both sides sound optimistic regarding a deal. Marshall, who finished last season with 102 tackles, gushed about the organization to ESPN.com’s Jeff Legwold.

“I love it here. I love it here, man,” Marshall said. “Ever since I got here, in 2013, they’ve treated me like family, even when I was on the practice squad. It just shows, I’m really all about ball, getting better and being with the team. … To stay away, that’s not me. I feel comfortable being here.”

Meanwhile, defensive coordinator Wade Phillips hinted that an extension could be incoming.

“This club is always going to take care of somebody that helped them win a championship like that,” Phillips said. “So I feel like that will get worked out sooner or later. They’ll help anybody that does that.”

Let’s check out some more notes from the Mile High City…

Speaking of quarterbacks, Peyton Manning told Tennessean sports editor Dave Ammenheuser that he “was pretty close” to signing with the Titans instead of the Broncos in 2012. Having played for the University of Tennessee, Manning has an obvious connection to the state, and there were previous rumors that he could take a front office role with the organization.
The Broncos may have another “quarterback controversy” on their hands this season, writes Woody Paige of the Denver Post. After juggling Manning and Brock Osweiler last year, the coaching staff is eyeing two potential starters on their current roster: Mark Sanchez and rookie Paxton Lynch.
Manning’s retirement leaves a leadership void on the Broncos offense, and Troy E. Renck of the Denver Post believes wideout Emmanuel Sanders is a perfect candidate to fill that role.

Latest On NFL’s Investigation Into PEDs

May 25th, 2016 at 7:52pm CST by Connor J. Byrne

Nearly five months have passed since an Al Jazeera America documentary linking several NFL players to banned substances came to the fore, but the league still hasn’t interviewed any of the individuals mentioned in the film. That could be on the brink of changing, reports Christine Brennan of USA Today.

“It’s our expectation that we will interview the players involved over the next month or so,” league spokesman Joe Lockhart told Brennan on Wednesday.

Lockhart added that the league is “in conversations with the union over the timing” of the interviews.

“The Dark Side,” a documentary centering on the global epidemic of performance-enhancing drugs in sports, was released in December. In that production, ex-Guyer Institute pharmacists Charlie Sly and Chad Robertson name now-retired quarterback Peyton Manning, Packers linebacker Julius Peppers, Steelers linebacker James Harrison and current free agent linebacker Mike Neal as players they supplied with PEDs. They also connect Packers linebacker Clay Matthews to the painkiller Toradol.

Sly alleges in the documentary that the Guyer Institute – an Indianapolis-based anti-aging clinic – supplied Manning and his wife, Ashley, with human growth hormone when he was recovering from a career-threatening neck injury in 2011. Neal, Peppers and Harrison are all linked to hormone supplement Delta-2, which is designed to stay ahead of drug tests.

Manning, whose Broncos defeated the Panthers in Super Bowl 50, stated after the documentary’s release that he would welcome a league investigation into the matter and added that he’d consider legal action. As it turns out, however, the 40-year-old will not sue, relays Brennan. He remains on the league’s interview list, though, because of the potential that he’ll someday end up in a front office.

As of now, Manning doesn’t want to spend significant money or time on a lawsuit that would publicize the private medical records of him and his wife, per Brennan, who notes that Sly’s allegation that Manning went to the Guyer Institute ultimately proved true. Further, the Mannings haven’t disputed the notion that Ashley Manning had HGH and other drugs shipped to her.

For now, Manning is in a strategic phase and keeping an eye on how the libel lawsuits filed against Al Jazeera America by Major League Baseball players Ryan Howard and Ryan Zimmerman fare. Howard and Zimmerman are also included in the documentary, and they elected to take legal action in January. If their cases end up dismissed, Manning will know his also would have been, writes Brennan.

As for the other players involved, Neal is still unsigned despite logging a few productive seasons in Green Bay. He attributes his unemployment, at least in part, to the documentary. Harrison decided against legal action in December for financial reasons, and he made news earlier this month when he tried to videotape his own drug test. Peppers – who does have a 2002 PED suspension on his résumé – called the documentary “irresponsible journalism” upon its release, and Matthews denied knowing Sly.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Extra Points: Fitzpatrick, Panthers, Manning

May 9th, 2016 at 8:55pm CST by Luke Adams

As Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk observes, some free agents who haven’t received a ton of interest in recent weeks may see their markets pick up after this Thursday. May 12th will be the first day that free agents no longer count toward the compensatory draft pick formula for 2017, meaning teams can sign veteran players without worrying about potentially losing draft picks next spring.

Of course, players who were released earlier in the offseason never counted toward that comp-pick formula, so guys who fit that bill, such as Roddy White, Antonio Cromartie, and Chris Culliver, won’t be affected. But for someone like Ryan Fitzpatrick, who simple saw his contract expire back in March, it could make a difference — teams could be more willing to make a solid offer if they know it won’t affect their 2017 draft plans.

Here’s more from around the NFL:

Earlier today, a report indicated that the Panthers and standout defensive tackle Kawann Short had begun discussing a contract extension. David Newton of ESPN.com explores what such a deal might be worth, reaching the same conclusion we did: Carolina won’t offer an Ndamukong Suh-type contract, but something that puts him in the second tier of highest-paid DTs wouldn’t be unreasonable.
Peyton Manning paid a visit to the Dolphins this offseason, but it wasn’t as a free agent. As Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald details, Manning was in Miami to meet with his former offensive coordinator, Adam Gase, as well as Dolphins quarterback Ryan Tannehill, and explained some of the nuances of Gase’s offense to Tannehill. “It was really cool just to be able to sit and pick his brain about things he’s done in this offense and football things in general: snap counts, things you like, the way you want guys to run routes, little details about the game,” Tannehill said. “We really just got to talk the game, which is something we both love.”
Browns owner Jimmy Haslam continues to be tied up in civil lawsuits filed against Pilot Flying J, a truck-stop chain owned by him and his brother. An Associated Press report (link via Ohio.com) provides the latest details on Haslam, who has agreed to be deposed “under specific conditions.”
The Bears have promoted Mark Sadowski to director of college scouting, replacing Joe Douglas who is leaving for Philadelphia, Adam Jahns of the Chicago Sun-Times tweets.

Zach Links contributed to this post.

AFC Notes: Browns, Pats, Raiders, Ravens

March 22nd, 2016 at 6:19pm CST by Connor J. Byrne

There was speculation late last season that Peyton Manning would retire and take a prominent front office position, perhaps in Cleveland. Manning has since retired and the Browns’ presidency is currently vacant, but it doesn’t sound as if the 39-year-old will end up with them.

“Whatever Peyton decides to do, and I have no idea what that is, I have not literally talked to him since wishing him good luck before the Super Bowl,” owner Jimmy Haslam, a friend of Manning’s, said (link via Nate Ulrich of Ohio.com). “Whatever organization gets him will be fortunate whether it’s a pro organization, a business, media, but I think we’ve got a great organization in place in Cleveland and we’re excited to go forward.”

Here’s more form the AFC:

Even though Patriots owner Robert Kraft has made an effort to persuade the NFL into giving back the first-round pick it took from the team as a result of the Deflategate scandal, club president Jonathan Kraft told Tom Curran of CSNNE.com that it’s a losing battle. On why the Pats haven’t sued the league in an effort to recoup the pick, Jonathan Kraft said, “It’ll take longer than the time before the draft happens and the money isn’t the issue here, the issue is getting your draft pick back and at some point you have to realize it’s not gonna happen and the best revenge will be putting the best team on the field next year and hopefully having a very successful season.”
The Raiders have made some major additions in free agency this year, but they swung and missed on landing safety Eric Weddle – who signed with the Ravens. Not surprisingly, then, head coach Jack Del Rio acknowledged Tuesday that safety is an area of concern for the club, saying, “[W]e need to acquire some people” (Twitter link via Vic Tafur of the San Francisco Chronicle).
Safety issues aside, the Raiders’ roster looks more impressive on paper than it has in years. However, the organization’s future in Oakland remains uncertain. When asked to update the Raiders’ situation there, owner Mark Davis said, “There’s nothing … I’m still trying to get something with the stadium” (link via Matt Maiocco of CSNBayArea.com). Davis also spoke highly of Los Angeles and Las Vegas as potential homes for the Raiders, as Maiocco writes, but he shot down the notion of relocating the franchise to St. Louis. “The Raiders brand is a different brand, I believe,” he said. “I just don’t believe St. Louis would maximize it.”
Ravens head coach John Harbaugh suggested Tuesday that there would be competition at the left tackle spot going into next season, implying that Eugene Monroe isn’t locked in as the starter, but owner Steve Bisciotti sang a different tune. Bisciotti said “without hesitation” that the job is Monroe’s, Jeff Zrebiec of the Baltimore Sun reports (on Twitter).
In Ravens-related draft news, Bisciotti stated that he doesn’t expect the club to trade up from the sixth pick and into the top five, but he wouldn’t be averse to moving back (Twitter link via Zrebiec).

Broncos Place Peyton Manning On Reserve/Retired List

March 7th, 2016 at 4:42pm CST by Zachary Links

We’ve known for some time that Peyton Manning would retire, but it wasn’t immediately clear whether the Broncos would place him on the reserve/retired list or simply release him. Today, we have our answer, as the Broncos have officially placed Manning on the reserve/retired list. Now, if Manning ever does decide to return to football, the Broncos will retain his rights.

Manning decided to retire from the NFL over the weekend, leaving the sport as a two-time Super Bowl champion and a shoe-in Hall of Famer. No. 18 leaves the game as the league’s all-time leader in total wins by a QB (200), passing yards (71,940), and passing touchdowns (539) and also leaves the sport as the highest-paid player in league history. Over his career, Manning has netted roughly a quarter-billion dollars, and that’s before considering his sponsorship deals.

Manning evened the score with brother Eli Manning when he secured his second Super Bowl ring, but Manning had a tumultuous year to say the least. Manning struggled mightily to open the season but many didn’t notice as the Broncos came out of the gate 7-0 thanks to their defense. Soon after that, however, Manning’s decline became quite apparent to all observers. The Broncos eventually installed Brock Osweiler as their starting QB and it wasn’t until Week 17 when they put the Sheriff back in the starting role.

Nevertheless, Manning leaves the game as one of the very best quarterbacks of all-time. And, if he ever pulls a Brett Favre, the Broncos will own his NFL rights.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Broncos To Tender RFA Brandon Marshall

March 7th, 2016 at 7:20am CST by Luke Adams

As the Broncos attempt to get deals done with bigger-name free agents like Malik Jackson and Brock Osweiler, the team is taking care of one if its restricted free agents. According to ESPN’s Trey Wingo (Twitter link), Denver is placing a second-round RFA tender on linebacker Brandon Marshall.

While he hasn’t made as many headlines as teammates Jackson, Von Miller, and Danny Trevathan this offseason, Marshall is a key cog in the Broncos’ defense, starting all 16 games and three postseason contests for the club this past season. Marshall totaled 101 tackles, 1.5 sacks, two forced fumbles, and an interception.

By assigning him a second-round RFA tender worth $2.553MM, the Broncos will assure that if any team signs Marshall to an offer sheet that they choose not to match, they’ll receive a second-round pick as compensation.

Per Nicki Jhabvala of the Denver Post, the Dolphins and Seahawks are among the teams expected to have some interest in Marshall. However, I doubt that any club will be willing to part with a second-round pick to sign him, so the most likely scenario is that Marshall plays out the year on his tender before becoming eligible for unrestricted free agency next winter.

Here’s more on the Broncos:

Peyton Manning is retiring, but it’s not clear yet whether the Broncos will place him on the reserve/retired list or simply release him. As Michael David Smith of Pro Football Talk explains, it’s worth keeping an eye on, since Manning could come out of retirement down the road with no roadblocks if Denver cuts him.
According to Peter King of TheMMQB.com, the Rams’ brain-trust had mild interest in Manning, but hadn’t yet had a serious internal discussion about him, and likely wouldn’t have guaranteed him a starting job. If the Rams were the only club with any level of interest in Manning, as King suggests, it likely made the quarterback’s retirement decision easier.
For what it’s worth, Ed Werder of ESPN.com tweets that Manning and agent Tom Condon never attempted to determine other teams’ interest in the QB — their deliberations were simply about whether or not to retire.
The Texans are expected to contact Jimmy Sexton, the agent for Brock Osweiler, when the legal tampering period begins today, according to Mike Klis of 9NEWS.

Peyton Manning To Retire

March 6th, 2016 at 7:46am CST by Rory Parks

It sounds like it’s for real this time. Peyton Manning will announce his retirement tomorrow in Denver, per ESPN’s Chris Mortensen (article via Jeff Legwold of ESPN.com). The Broncos’ official website has confirmed the report, and as Troy E. Renck of The Denver Post writes, Manning broke the news to GM John Elway and head coach Gary Kubiak last night. Manning’s press conference will be held at 1pm EST tomorrow, according to Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (via Twitter).

Manning will leave the NFL as a two-time Super Bowl champion, and the league’s all-time leader in total wins by a QB (200), passing yards (71,940) and passing touchdowns (539). He also holds the record for most single-season TD tosses (55, set in 2013). Additionally, the No. 1 overall pick of the 1998 draft has racked up 14 Pro Bowl bids, seven First-Team All-Pro selections, and five MVP awards on the heels of a stellar career at the University of Tennessee. He retires as the highest-paid player in NFL history, earning nearly $250MM over the course of his career (per Sportac).

Manning spent the first 14 seasons of his remarkable career with the Colts, but after undergoing neck surgery in May 2011, Manning was still unable to complete his throwing motion and ultimately was forced to undergo spinal fusion surgery and miss the entirety of the 2011 season. That snapped his streak of 208 consecutive regular season starts and cast his NFL future into serious doubt. Indeed, when he began his recovery from the spinal fusion surgery, he could barely throw a football 10 yards, and even after he signed a highly-lucrative contract with Denver in March 2012, the Broncos were uncertain enough about Manning’s abilities that they drafted Brock Osweiler in the second round of the 2012 draft.

All of which makes Manning’s accomplishments with the Broncos all the more remarkable. During his four-year stint in the Mile High City, Manning completed 66.5% of his passes for 17,112 yards, 140 touchdowns against 53 interceptions, and he picked up three of his Pro Bowl nods, two of his First-Team All-Pro selections, one of his MVP awards, and of course, one of his two Super Bowl rings.

The 2015 campaign, though it ended in triumph, was perhaps the most difficult of Manning’s career, as he appeared in 10 regular-season games and compiled his second-lowest completion percentage (59.8%), not to mention personal worsts in touchdown passes (nine, against 17 interceptions) and QB rating (67.9). Manning was out of action for the second half of November and all of December because of a foot injury, but he relieved a banged-up Osweiler in Week 17 and never relinquished the starting job. Manning worked in a game manager role during the postseason, when the Broncos’ defense led the club to wins over the Steelers, Patriots and Panthers en route to a Super Bowl title.

In addition to his on-field difficulties in 2015, Manning faced scrutiny for his off-field behavior. In December, Al-Jazeera America released a documentary alleging that Manning and his wife, Ashley, received shipments of human growth hormone from the Guyer Institute as Manning was recovering from the above-referenced surgery. Manning has vehemently denied those allegations and even threatened legal action.

Manning is also among the athletes cited in a lawsuit filed by a number of women claiming that the University of Tennessee violated Title IX regulations and fostered a “hostile sexual environment” through its indifference to assaults allegedly committed by student-athletes. Manning is accused of placing his naked genitals on the face of trainer Dr. Jamie Naughright while she was examining him in 1996. Manning has denied the assault, claiming that he was mooning a teammate when the alleged incident took place, and Naughright’s earlier lawsuit against Manning himself was ultimately settled in 1997 with the agreement that Naughright leave the university.

A report last week suggested that Manning would indeed announce his intention to retire, but shortly after that report was published, other writers were quick to observe that Manning had not yet finalized his decision. It was still widely-expected that Manning would hang up the cleats, and even if he did choose to play for another season, it would not have been for the Broncos. If Manning had not made up his mind by the time his $19MM 2016 salary became fully-guaranteed on March 8, the Broncos would have been forced to release him so that they could clear his $19MM cap hit from the books. Now that Manning has decided to retire, Denver will perhaps use a good chunk of that money to sign Osweiler to a multi-year deal, thus signaling not only the end of a Broncos era, but the end of an NFL epoch.

We at Pro Football Rumors congratulate Manning, arguably the greatest quarterback of all time, on a remarkable career and wish him well in his future endeavors.

Connor Byrne contributed to this post

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images

Extra Points: Manning, Vikings, Suggs, Jets

March 5th, 2016 at 9:40pm CST by Dallas Robinson

Peyton Manning‘s 2016 base salary of $19MM becomes fully guaranteed on March 9, and according to his agent, Manning knows that he needs to make a retirement decision before that date or risk being released by the Broncos. “There’s a time when the contract becomes guaranteed, so they’ll just have to make a move before then,” said Tom Condon on The Mighty 1090 in San Diego (link via Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk). “He’s completely aware of the guarantee obligation from the club on a date certain, and he knows that there has to be some accommodation prior to that.”

Here’s a quick look at some news and notes from around the NFL:

The Vikings are expected to target several Bengals free agents, writes Chris Tomasson of the St. Paul Pioneer Press, in large part due to head coach Mike Zimmer‘s familiarity with Cincinnati players — Zimmer was the Bengals’ defensive coordinator from 2008-13. According to Tomasson, Minnesota will look hard at safeties George Iloka and Reggie Nelson even after agreeing to re-sign Andrew Sendejo earlier today.
Ravens edge rusher Terrell Suggs was arrested in Arizona on Friday morning and charged with driving on a suspended license and leaving the scene of an accident, reports Jeff Zriebec of the Baltimore Sun. Both are seemingly minor offenses, but Zriebec notes that both can be tied to jail time in Arizona (though apparently the more common penalty is a fine). In a separate piece, Florio writes that the leaving the scene charge makes the situation appear more “ominous,” and he wonders if the league might look to impose discipline.
Pending further roster cuts, the Jets will enter the free agent period will less than $7MM to work with, leading Manish Mehta of the New York Daily News to observe that the club won’t be able to target high-priced free agents like it did in 2015. Affordable players like Ladarius Green or Alfred Morris might be more the Jets’ speed this year, opines Mehta.
This year’s receiver draft class is not expected to be special, leading Albert Breer of NFL.com (Twitter link) to believe that clubs needing pass-catchers could overspend — and potentially, make mistakes — in free agency.
The Chiefs made a number of changes to their offensive staff following the departure of play-caller Doug Pederson, and head coach Andy Reid told reporters, including Terez A. Paylor of the Kansas City Star (Twitter link), tonight that assistant quarterbacks coach Corey Matthaei will be helping out in coaching the team’s offensive line this season.

Broncos Increase Offer To Brock Osweiler

March 5th, 2016 at 2:05pm CST by Sam Robinson

Two days away from being free to negotiate with other teams, Brock Osweiler now has more to consider about staying in Denver.

The Broncos have reportedly upped their offer to Osweiler, submitting one that’s worth more than $45MM over three years, according to Mike Klis of 9News.

Previously, we heard Osweiler’s top offer from the Broncos was for more than $12MM per season. This latest development looks like John Elway is serious about keeping the fifth-year quarterback off the market.

Elway noted at the Combine he would approach these negotiations with the 25-year-old Osweiler with the idea his second contract would be the one where he’d have the opportunity to prove he’s worth established-starter money, which is around $16MM. Twenty quarterbacks earn that on average, with most of the starters not beyond that salary still playing on their rookie deals.

Osweiler’s previous offer was in line with what Nick Foles signed for with the Rams last year, but this one’s closer in AAV to Andy Dalton‘s $16MM pact. Of course, without knowing how much guaranteed money’s involved, it’s difficult to compare.

Klis hears this offer has incentives and is uncertain about how much of this deal would be fully guaranteed. The Texans, Jets, Browns, Rams and 49ers have uncertainty at quarterback and could be among the suitors for the 2012 second-round pick if he reaches the market.

With Sam Bradford now back with the Eagles and Kirk Cousins signing his franchise tender with Washington, Osweiler and Ryan Fitzpatrick have ascended to the top of the prospective free agent market. This could entice Osweiler to at least gauge his worth beginning Monday, when the NFL’s soft free agency period begins and runs until the market official opens Wednesday afternoon.

In a solid-yet-unspectacular audition that concluded with a 61% completion rate and a 10-to-6 touchdown-to-interception ratio, Osweiler went 5-2 as a starter last season for the Super Bowl champions after making no starts in the previous three campaigns.

Peyton Manning, meanwhile, still hasn’t informed the Broncos of his plans. The team is expected to move on from Manning, who, according to Klis, will get an update from the 39-year-old signal-caller on Monday or Tuesday.

Photo courtesy USA Today Sports Images

Quarterback Notes: Flacco, Brees, Manning

March 5th, 2016 at 12:32pm CST by Ben Levine

Despite what the Ravens may be saying, Pro Football Talk’s Mike Florio is convinced that Joe Flacco‘s new contract is simply about saving money. The team’s website published an article earlier this week stating that the extension was about winning, not money.

“We did not do a deal to gain cap room,” Newsome had said (via Florio). “We did a deal so Joe Flacco could be on this football team for the next six years.”

However, the quarterback basically admitted that the new contract was intended to create more cap flexibility.

“We’ve got a bunch of good players and we’ve got a great foundation already but with the way the deal was before I mean it might not have been this year but at some point there was gonna be a strain on what we could do and what kind of guys we could bring in,” Flacco said on PFT Live. “You don’t wanna see any of the guys on your team have to be let go because of some issue with the cap and I wanted to play here. I wanted to play here, I want to play here, continue to play here for a long time.”

Let’s check out some other notes regarding several of the league’s top signal callers…

Considering the extra flexibility, Flacco would like to see the Ravens bring in some reinforcement on the offensive line. When appearing on PFT Live, the quarterback also seemed to hint that he’d prefer the team re-sign Kelechi Osemele. “The one thing is I would say we need to get our O-line solidified, see who’s going to be there for sure,” Flacco said (via Michael David Smith of ProFootballTalk.com). “We’ve got a couple guys, at least one guy who’s out in the open there, whether we’re going to get a contract done with him or not. So once we get those guys nailed down and see who they’re going to be, I think that’s the biggest part of a championship, as far as the offensive side of the ball.”
Drew Brees‘ 2016 cap number will balloon to $30MM in the next several days, and Florio wonders if the 37-year-old will break the recent monetary records set by Flacco. A new deal may benefit each side, especially since the Saints will owe the quarterback $43.2MM if they tag him in 2017.
Even if Brock Osweiler ends up leaving Denver, Mike Klis of 9 News can’t envision the Broncos bringing back Peyton Manning. Despite a successful four years with the franchise, the writer is convinced that it’s time to begin the “post-Manning era.”

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