Peyton Manning - Pro Football Rumors

Peyton Manning Notes: Monday

February 8th, 2016 at 2:54pm CST by Sam Robinson

Peyton Manning has an understandable exit path he could well take soon after claiming a second Super Bowl championship. But he did not want to rush to a decision Sunday night in order to not deflect any attention from his teammates and the Broncos’ third title, Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk writes.

The 39-year-old quarterback told media he’s following the advice of former coach Tony Dungy in not making an emotional decision, which, as Florio writes, would be to retire. The PFT writer notes Manning became emotional in an interview with CBS Sports’ Bill Cowher taped earlier in the week when the former Steelers coach broached the subject of being a good teammate.

Manning has one more season on his five-year, $96MM Broncos contract and would, as of now, occupy $21.5MM of Denver’s 2016 salary cap.

Here is more on Manning’s potential decision after he became the first signal-caller to start and win Super Bowls with two different franchises.

Manning’s mother, Olivia, concurs with the popular notion he should walk away after 18 seasons, via Sam Farmer of the Los Angeles Times. “I would like for him to retire,” Olivia Manning told Farmer. “I would. Physically, I just don’t think it’s worth going on. He won a Super Bowl — it’s the best way to go out.” This season marked the first time Manning missed games due to a non-season-ending ailment, with his partially torn plantar fascia costing him six games.
The Broncos’ needing to re-sign Brock Osweiler will represent a component of Manning’s decision to retire, Rich Tandler of CSNWashington.com writes. Osweiler, who went 4-2 for the Broncos in games he played throughout, is an unrestricted free agent, and Tandler doesn’t see the 25-year-old signing for anything less than $12MM per season. That figure would put him on par with the contract Nick Foles signed with the Rams last year and would be the lowest salary for a Broncos starter since 2011. Von Miller, Malik Jackson and Danny Trevathan are also free agents who will see significant pay increases, either from the Broncos or other teams, so Denver will have to make tough choices. Tandler expects Manning to announce his retirement in “one or two” weeks.
Jim Souhan of the Star Tribune wonders what’s next for Manning after getting ring No. 2. Souhan writes that watching Manning win the Super Bowl while completing 13 passes was like “watching Jimi Hendrix play the tambourine.” After the game, Manning made sure mention Budweiser-brand beer twice, which Souhan takes to be a hint of his future plans. NFL players are not allowed to endorse alcoholic products so one can infer that Manning no longer considers himself to be an NFL player.
After winning the Super Bowl, Manning has no choice but to retire, Christine Brennan of USA Today opines. Manning didn’t play particularly well on Sunday night and he even acknowledged that it was his defense that willed the team to victory. “I was just glad I was on the same team as our defense and didn’t have to play against them,” he said. Manning, soon to be 40, went 13-for-23 for just 141 passing yards with an interception and no touchdown passes. Of course, there are also lurking HGH accusations stemming from a late December documentary, though Manning vehemently denies any involvement in using PEDs.

Zach Links contributed to this report

Peyton Manning’s $2MM Super Bowl Incentive

February 7th, 2016 at 4:59pm CST by Dallas Robinson

The No. 1 storyline revolving around Super Bowl is undoubtedly the future of Broncos quarterback Peyton Manning, and whether he’ll choose to retire following tonight’s contest. Nearing age 40, Manning surely knows this is his last and best opportunity to win a second Super Bowl ring, and he’s obviously motivated to do so. But Manning also has a financial stake in the game, in the form of a $2MM incentive negotiated into his contract nearly a year ago.

In March of 2015, Manning agreed to a $4MM paycut, lowering his base salary from $19MM down to $15MM. However, Denver inserted clauses that allowed Manning to earn that money back: he’d get $2MM for winning the AFC Championship Game, and another $2MM for winning the Super Bowl. Obviously, he’s already secured that AFC title game incentive, and now the Super Bowl payday is on the line.

Needless to say, an extra $2MM probably isn’t needed to motivate Manning for tonight’s game (especially given that he’s earned nearly $250MM during the course of his career). Regardless, we’ll all be waiting to see if Manning announces his retirement after the Super Bowl, as he’s reportedly told friends that he plans to do. If not, however, he probably won’t be retained by the Broncos, and the Rams are one club that has discussed the possibility of pursuing Manning.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Latest On Peyton Manning

February 5th, 2016 at 6:32pm CST by Dallas Robinson

As he prepares to make his fourth Super Bowl appearance this Sunday, Broncos quarterback Peyton Manning‘s NFL future seems to be garnering more headlines than does the upcoming title game. Manning’s father — and former NFL quarterback — Archie Manning recently spoke on Peyton’s possible retirement, as did Peyton’s brother — and Giants signal-caller — Eli Manning.

Appearing on Mike and Mike on ESPN Radio, Archie Manning hedged a bit when asked if Peyton was fully committed to calling it a career after the Super Bowl. “Maybe not totally,” he said, according to Jeff Legwold of ESPN.com. “He probably envisions himself getting good and healthy. If he is good and healthy, can he play? I think he pretty much knows that it wouldn’t be with the Broncos and that would be another thing, to change teams.

“Now, he had some offers last year from teams, some teams talked to him,” Archie continued. “But I think that was going to be a lot of drama, again, to change teams, that he didn’t want to go through. He did do that once, so I don’t know that he would want to do that.”

The Broncos obviously haven’t said that they’d like to move on from Manning after this season, but given his declining level of play, his $19MM base salary for 2016, and the fact the club will likely attempt to retain backup quarterback Brock Osweiler, it’s not surprising that Manning doesn’t believe he’ll back in Denver next season. But Archie Manning did tell Andrew Siciliano of NFL Network that he expects Peyton to “leave a little avenue open” to playing next year, especially if he can regain his 2014 level of health.

The fact that Manning “had some offers” from other clubs probably amounts to tampering, as Manning was still under contract with Denver throughout last offseason. He was asked — and agreed to — accept a $4MM pay cut, but given that he wasn’t released, other teams shouldn’t have been allowed to speak with Manning. But given that any such talks likely happened over a year ago (and had yet to be reported), no consequences will likely arise.

Eli Manning agreed with his father on the idea of Peyton playing in another city in 2016, telling Paul Schwartz of the New York Post that while he can’t speak for his brother, it “would be tough” to imagine Peyton joining another club (Twitter link). One team that has reportedly kicked the tires on the idea of acquiring Manning is the Rams, as the veteran quarterback would add a level of intrigue to a team set to relocate to Los Angeles in 2016.

Meanwhile, moving to a separate Peyton Manning story, Will Hobson and Justin Moyer of the Washington Post report that Manning hired private investigators to locate and interrogate the source of the HGH allegations levied against the Broncos quarterback. Manning apparently paid for a duo of investigators to speak with Charlie Sly, the pharmacist source in an Al-Jazeera documentary, five days before the documentary aired, and also sent a lawyer to the Guyer Insitute in Indianapolis to review he and his wife’s medical records.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

South Notes: Titans, D. Martin, Colts, M. Martin

February 5th, 2016 at 12:33pm CST by Luke Adams

Titans quarterback Marcus Mariota obviously has some pull with his franchise, but he told Pro Football Talk that he didn’t want to be significantly involved with the team’s head coaching search.

“I didn’t want any input or anything like that,” Mariota said. “They did ask. They asked about Chip Kelly, about Coach (Mike) Mularkey. They obviously asked my opinions about people here and there, but I wanted them to make their own decision.”

Last month, the Titans made the call to elevate Mularkey from interim head coach to head coach, while Kelly – Mariota’s old head coach at Oregon – joined the Niners.

Here’s more from around the NFL’s South divisions:

Buccaneers running back Doug Martin is eligible to hit the open market in March but on Thursday, he took yet another opportunity to profess his love for Tampa Bay. “I love Tampa and Tampa loves me,” Martin told PFT. “I’ve got a house out there so I do wish I’ll go back to Tampa.” ~~Muscle Hamster~~ Martin also said that he was surprised by the firing of coach Lovie Smith, though he’s excited about playing for Dirk Koetter, who was elevated from offensive coordinator.
Colts owner Jim Irsay told WISH-TV’s Anthony Calhoun that he hopes to see Broncos quarterback Peyton Manning retire as a member of the Colts, signing a one-day contract with Indianapolis when he decides to call it a career. Of course, rumors have been swirling in recent weeks that Super Bowl 50 could be Manning’s final game. Then again, maybe this won’t be Manning’s “last rodeo” — the Rams have reportedly discussed Manning internally as they gear up for their move to Los Angeles.
Titans defensive lineman Mike Martin has had to adjust to several different schemes throughout his college and NFL career, as his teams made multiple coaching changes. As he tells Michael Rothstein of ESPN.com, Martin – a pending free agent – is hoping for some stability with his next team, assuming he isn’t back with Tennessee.

Zach Links contributed to this post.

Rams Have Discussed Pursuing Peyton Manning

February 3rd, 2016 at 9:47am CST by Luke Adams

It remains to be seen whether this Sunday’s game against the Panthers will be the last of Peyton Manning‘s playing career, but most people around the league believe it will be his last game as a Bronco, says Adam Schefter of ESPN.com. According to Schefter, the Rams are monitoring the Manning situation, and have had internal discussions about bringing him to Los Angeles if he wants to continue his career.

A report surfaced earlier this week suggesting that Manning has told some friends that he expects to retire following the Super Bowl, and that comes on the heels of the veteran quarterback telling Bill Belichick after the AFC Championship game that this could be his “last rodeo.” However, speaking to reporters this week, Manning downplayed his “last rodeo” comments, and said he’d like to meet the “close friends” who are privy to his plans, suggesting that he hasn’t made a decision on his future yet.

Manning is coming off the least productive season of his long NFL career, and will turn 40 in March. Throw in the fact that he’s owed a $19MM base salary for 2016, and it’s easy to see why he might not be in the Broncos’ plans for next season, even if he decides not to retire. Brock Osweiler is eligible for free agency this winter, and Denver is expected to try to lock him up to a deal that would pay him starter-type money.

If Manning’s career continues somewhere besides Denver, Los Angeles seems like a viable destination — last week, Joel Corry of CBSSports.com identified it as perhaps the most logical potential landing spot for the former first overall pick. From the Rams’ perspective, adding a future Hall-of-Fame quarterback like Manning would help build some buzz as the team moves west from St. Louis. Currently, Nick Foles and restricted free agent Case Keenum are projected to compete for the starting job, so the team could use some veteran help at the position.

In 2015, Manning nearly led the league in interceptions, with 17, despite only playing 10 regular-season games. He also completed just 59.8% of his passes, his lowest mark since his rookie year, and his QB rating of 67.9 was a career worst. However, he has looked a little better in the postseason, having not thrown an interception in wins over the Steelers and Patriots.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Broncos Notes: Murphy, Manning, HGH

February 2nd, 2016 at 9:02pm CST by Zachary Links

Well, this isn’t how you want to make the news on Super Bowl week. Broncos practice squad safety Ryan Murphy was involved by San Jose police in a prostitution sting, according to CBS Bay Area. Sources say that police detained a suspected prostitute in Santa Clara County and she told law enforcement that she had to go to a car to retrieve some property. Murphy was inside of that car with his brother. The safety was ultimately released by police but his brother was cited for his involvement.

The Broncos have responded by sending Murphy home to Denver, as Lindsay Jones of USA Today tweets.

Here’s more on the Broncos as they get ready for Sunday:

A report earlier this week indicated that Peyton Manning told close friends that he is going to retire after Super Bowl 50. However, the quarterback denies that’s the case, as Mike Klis of 9NEWS writes. “I mean, close friends that I’m supposedly telling, I’d like to meet them,” Manning said. “The close friends that I have — and I do have close friends, but I don’t think any of them are close to anybody who works for the NFL Network.”
After the AFC Championship game, boom mics picked up Manning telling coach Bill Belichick that SB50 could be his “last rodeo.” Manning says that comment isn’t as telling as the media is making it out to be. “I may play against these guys 10 more times. Brady’s going to play till he’s 70, Belichick is going to coach till he’s 90. Maybe I hit the fountain of youth in the next couple of months and play another 10 years. Who knows? But in case it was the last time I played against them in the championship,’’ Manning said, (emphasis ours, via Klis).
Manning sat down with CBS’ Bill Cowher (Twitter link) to address the allegations of HGH use made against him late last year. In the clip, Manning says that he “welcomes” the NFL’s investigation and termed the allegations as being “complete junk.”
Defensive end Malik Jackson sounds like a player who knows that Sunday is his last game with the team (Twitter link via Nicki Jhabvala of The Denver Post). “I can make myself a lot more money if I go out there and do what I know how to do and do what I’ve been doing,“

Peyton Manning Told Friends He Expects To Retire

February 1st, 2016 at 4:15pm CST by Zachary Links

After telling Patriots coach Bill Belichick that this postseason run might be his “last rodeo,” we now have another strong indication that Peyton Manning is leaning towards retirement. The Broncos quarterback told close friends that he expects to retire after the Super Bowl, according to Ian Rapoport of NFL.com.

“The reality is he let the cat out of the bag a little bit,” Rapoport said. “I also know he has told close friends that he expects this to be his last game as well.”

Manning is entering the final year of his contract with the Broncos and many have speculated that he will not be back with Denver in 2016. Manning’s understudy, Brock Osweiler, showed promise in his second-half stint as the team’s starter and he is due to hit the open market this spring. If Manning were to be brought back as the starter for 2016, Osweiler would almost certainly choose to go elsewhere as he would have numerous starting opportunities around the league. Recently, Mike Klis of 9NEWS wrote that even if Manning were to be named MVP of Super Bowl 50, he would be unlikely to be wearing orange next season. Now, it seems like Manning is intent on retiring altogether.

Of course, this has not been Manning’s easiest season. The veteran QB got off to an atrocious start in Denver, though his struggles were largely masked by the team’s 8-0 record through the first half. In the second half, the injury bug ultimately put Manning on the bench and allowed Osweiler to take control under center. In December, a documentary by Al-Jazeera America led to allegations of HGH use by the quarterback, though Manning vehemently denies such claims.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Extra Points: Manning, Hayne, Raiders, Eagles

January 31st, 2016 at 9:53pm CST by Sam Robinson

The 49ers tried to lean on then-defensive coordinator Vic Fangio’s familiarity with Peyton Manning as a recruitment tool when they, the Titans and Broncos were finalists for the then-free agent’s services, Eric Branch of the San Francisco Chronicle reports.

Fangio, the Bears’ current DC and then the 49ers’ defensive boss, was the Colts’ defensive coordinator under Jim Mora from 1999-01 and recalled the back-and-forths he had with the wunderkind quarterback during their time in Indianapolis. The two would verbally jostle in practices if Manning felt the defense was playing the wrong coverage, and Fangio would counter that the practices weren’t geared only to Manning success.

Fangio thought a 49ers talented defense that had the team on the cusp of Super Bowl XLVI the season prior would be the then-36-year-old quarterback’s ticket to another championship.

“When we were talking to him about coming to the 49ers,” Fangio told Branch, “I told him we’d let him win in practice if he signed.”

Manning will play in the 49ers’ stadium Sunday, doing so in a non-preseason setting for the first time since since joining the Broncos.

Here’s the latest from around the league as the Pro Bowl’s conclusion leaves just one game remaining in the 2015 season.

Trent Baalke still sees a place for ex-rugby standout Jarryd Hayne on the 49ers even after a regime change, Michael Chammas of the Sydney (Australia) Morning Herald reports. “[Chip Kelly is] excited to get his hands on him, the whole coaching staff is. We’ll find out in short order who fits and who doesn’t fit,” Baalke told Chammas. The Sydney-based reporter notes Hayne’s 2016 season will determine if he returns to the National Rugby League after that, with the 28-year-old being waived by the 49ers last season and re-signed to the team’s practice squad. “I think that there were enough signs that he was still ways away in respect to development, that we felt there was a good chance he would make it through waivers and we’d be able to put him on our practice,” Baalke said of the soon-to-be-28-year-old running back.
Ryan Clady earlier today said he’d be willing to rework his contract to help the Broncos, which would increase his chances of being on the team for a ninth season. Entering his age-30 campaign off of two season-ending injuries in three seasons, Clady intimated to Arnie Stapleton of the Associated Press he’s ready for offseason work after undergoing surgery in June 2015, but said the Broncos may want him to skip OTAs to be ready for training camp. A former first-team All-Pro, Clady tore his ACL during OTAs last season, prompting the Broncos to sign current left tackle Ryan Harris as an emergency replacement.
The NFL doesn’t see Oakland coming up with a viable stadium plan in the near future, Vincent Bonsignore of the Los Angeles Daily News tweets. The Raiders are scouring the Pacific Time Zone for other avenues and haven’t discussed a new stadium since the owners’ meetings Jan. 12.
Sam Bradford faces a complex decision on whether to return to the Eagles, and the Texans will be their primary competition, should the seventh-year former No. 1 overall pick reach free agency, the Philadelphia Daily News writes. Paul Domowitch writes the Kelly trade target will depart due to the Texans having a superior defense and Doug Pederson‘s arrival negating the familiarity edge for the Eagles, while John Smallwood notes the Broncos could be in play, should they decide Brock Osweiler won’t be enough to keep them in the Super Bowl conversation. Overall, 11 of the 19 Daily News staffers polled, however, indicated Bradford would be back on the Eagles in ’16.

West Notes: Chargers, Kaepernick, Manning

January 29th, 2016 at 10:54am CST by Luke Adams

Those familiar with the proposal put on the table in Houston earlier this month for a Rams/Chargers partnership tell Sam Farmer and Nathan Fenno of the Los Angeles Times that it makes more sense for the second team – the Chargers – to be a tenant instead of a co-owner for the Rams’ stadium project. As such, if the Chargers end up moving to Los Angeles, it will probably be as Stan Kroenke‘s tenant.

As Farmer and Fenno explain, the proposal that surfaced in Houston has remained relatively unchanged for the last two and a half weeks, so the current situation is viewed as “less of a back-and-forth negotiation than a choice confronting the Chargers.”

As we wait to find out what the Chargers decide, let’s check in on some items from around the NFL’s West divisions…

Appearing on The Rich Eisen Show, 49ers CEO Jed York pointed to the team’s salary cap room as one reason why it’s viable for Colin Kaepernick to remain in San Francisco in 2016. “This is a fresh start for everybody,” York said, per Cam Inman of the San Jose Mercury News. “Colin needs to get back healthy, be ready to come in and compete, and we’ll see where it goes.”
Joel Corry of CBSSports.com examines Peyton Manning‘s options if the future Hall-of-Famer decides to continue his career in 2016. Corry believes the Rams look like a logical suitor for Manning if the Broncos decided they didn’t want to keep him.
Chip Kelly has added another assistant to his coaching staff, according to Alex Marvez of FOX Sports, who reports (via Twitter) that the 49ers have hired Colts safeties coach Roy Anderson as their defensive backs coach.
Former Bears assistant Skip Peete is joining the Rams as the team’s new running backs coach, a source tells Thayer Evans of SI.com. Peete has previously served as the RBs coach in Oakland, Dallas, and Chicago.
After undergoing surgery for Papillary Type 2 last spring, Seahawks defensive tackle Jesse Williams, who spent the 2015 season on the non-football illness list, tweets that he has been cleared to return to action. Bob Condotta of the Seattle Times provides some details on Williams, who is eligible for exclusive rights free agency.

Latest On Peyton Manning

January 26th, 2016 at 7:22pm CST by Zachary Links

One of the oldest adages in broadcast journalism is to “be careful around a hot mic.” Broncos quarterback Peyton Manning didn’t follow that rule in the immediate aftermath of the AFC Championship Game and, as a result, he may have let some big news slip.

“This might be my last rodeo,” Manning is heard saying to Patriots coach Bill Belichick, as Allison Sylte and Mike Klis of 9NEWS write. “So, it sure has been a pleasure.”

Manning is entering the final year of his contract with the Broncos and many have speculated that he will not be back with Denver in 2016. Manning’s understudy, Brock Osweiler, showed promise in his second-half stint as the team’s starter and he is due to hit the open market this spring. If Manning were to be brought back as the starter for 2016, Osweiler would almost certainly choose to go elsewhere as he would have numerous starting opportunities around the league. As Klis writes, even if Manning were to be named MVP of Super Bowl 50, he would be unlikely to be wearing orange next season. However, Manning’s words with Belichick are the strongest indication yet that Manning could just decide to retire altogether. For what it’s worth, Manning has given no such indication to teammates, as James Palmer of NFL.com tweets.

Of course, this has not been Manning’s easiest season. The veteran QB got off to an atrocious start in Denver, though his struggles were largely masked by the team’s 8-0 record through the first half. In the second half, the injury bug ultimately put Manning on the bench and allowed Osweiler to take control under center. In December, a documentary by Al-Jazeera America led to allegations of HGH use by the quarterback, though Manning vehemently denies such claims.

Speaking of the HGH rumors, NFL spokesman Brian McCarthy told the Associated Press that the league launched an investigation weeks ago into Manning’s potential involvement with a PED supplier. The league’s investigation includes the review of records, interviews, and “coordination with other agencies,” per the AP. The league, however, will not be teaming up with the investigations being conducted by MLB and USADA, according to ESPN’s T.J. Quinn. League PR man Greg Aiello (on Twitter) says that the NFL has “worked with” both organizations from the start, but Quinn (link) asserts that the NFL is only communicating with them and not working in tandem.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.