Peyton Manning to announce retirement on Monday
It’s time. Peyton Manning will announce his retirement on Monday, one month to the day after winning Super Bowl 50 with the Denver Broncos.
ESPN’s Chris Mortensen, technically on hiatus as he battles cancer, was first with the news on Sunday morning. Mortensen cited a source familiar with Manning’s decision. The team confirmed the news shortly after, with a statement from general manager John Elway.
“When you look at everything Peyton has accomplished as a player and person, it’s easy to see how fortunate we’ve been to have him on our team,” Elway said. “Peyton was everything that we thought he was and even more—not only for the football team but in the community.
“There’s no question that his work ethic is what made him into one of the great quarterbacks of all time. All the film study Peyton did and the process that he went through with game planning and understanding what the other teams did was second-to-none.
“Peyton was a player that guys wanted to play with. That made us better as a team, and I’m thrilled that we were able to win a championship in his final year. Peyton won a lot of awards and set a lot of records, but to me, what he helped our team accomplish during the last four years is what stands out the most.
“I’m very thankful Peyton chose to play for the Denver Broncos and I congratulate him on his Hall of Fame career.”
The official retirement will be made at the Broncos’ facility; Manning signed with Denver in 2012 and was with the franchise for two Super Bowl appearances (the Broncos lost to the Seattle Seahawks in Super Bowl XLVIII).
Fox Sports’ Mike Garafolo tweeted that Manning told the Broncos of his decision on Saturday night, and called team president Joe Ellis, Elway and head coach Gary Kubiak to inform them.
Manning’s announcement has been expected, as his level of play fell off significantly this past season, and he was benched for Brock Osweiler after a four-interception performance against the Kansas City Chiefs in Week 9. Shortly after, news came that Manning was dealing with plantar fasciitis, and he spent the rest of the regular season healing and rehabbing.
Manning started the Broncos’ three playoff games, but did not throw a touchdown pass in two of those contests, including the Super Bowl.
Manning’s retirement will be compared to how his boss, Elway, stepped away. The Broncos’ general manager is the only Hall of Fame quarterback who retired immediately after a Super Bowl win. Manning will be a first-ballot Hall of Famer in 2021. Manning’s farewell to the NFL will be winning Super Bowl 50 over the Carolina Panthers, his second Super Bowl title.
Manning’s résumé is impressive. He’s the NFL’s only five-time MVP. He is a seven-time first-team All-Pro. He owns the single-season and career records for passing yards and passing touchdowns. Manning is the first quarterback to win a Super Bowl as the starting quarterback of two different franchises. He had an amazing run with the Indianapolis Colts, then after missing the 2011 season with a neck injury, he signed with the Broncos and had four strong seasons with them.
Manning’s final few months in the NFL included a championship, but plenty of controversy too. Late last season, an Al Jazeera report said Manning’s wife received human-growth hormone through an anti-aging clinic in Indianapolis, and the report suggested Manning used HGH. Manning angrily denied the claims in that report. In February, there was a renewed focus on a 20-year-old incident in which a female University of Tennessee athletic trainer claimed Manning placed his “naked butt and rectum” and his genitals on her face, though Manning says he didn’t do that and simply mooned a teammate.
Whether the recent negative news will ultimately affect Manning’s legacy remains to be seen. But his résumé on the field is unprecedented. Manning walks away as one of the biggest legends in NFL history, and a Super Bowl champion.
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Frank Schwab is the editor of Shutdown Corner on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at [email protected] or follow him on Twitter! Follow @YahooSchwab
