Peyton Manning stays as a Bronco and that is that. There are no plans to trade the quarterback despite rumors linking the 39-year-old in a possible trade to the Houston Texans.
A tweet posted by Denver radio host Benjamin Albright caused quite a stir recently (June 23) and was immediately shot down by Broncos spokesman Patrick Smyth. He termed the report as false and inaccurate.
Albright was, however, not the first one to report the rumoured deal, seeing that Matt “Money” Smith also came out with a similar report via podcast. The Twitter account (Albright) was initially thought of as possibly fake but CBS Radio confirmed that the account was actually authentic.
They claim that there were preliminary talks between the Broncos and the Texans though all that may have dissolved when the Texans signed up Brian Hoyer last March. The word around is that Manning was being asked to take a $10 million pay cut at first, eventually ending in a $4 million decrease in the end.
Curiously, a no-trade clause was added to the new contract of Manning, something made a week before the Texans got Hoyer. So was there really something brewing back then?
Manning will be returning to the Broncos after agreeing to a $15 million base salary. His previous base salary was $19 million, a move done to restructure the team’s cap space and help the team improve their roster.
The Broncos are set to deal with wide receiver Demaryius Thomas as well as some other restricted free agents in an effort to improve the Broncos’ offensive line for the coming season.
Manning has been subject to a lot of injuries, a lot of which was expected given his long tenure in the NFL. Already 39, it wouldn’t be surprising if Manning eventually announces his retirement though there is no telling when this could be.
However, the only sure thing is that Manning could likely wind up his NFL career with the Denver Broncos, especially after the insertion of that no-trade-clause added to his restructured salary.
Manning has already established his legacy ever since he came into the league back in 1998. Manning kicked off his career with the Indianapolis Colts where he spent 14 seasons before moving over to Denver in 2011.
To his credit, Manning is a five-time league MVP and has a lengthy decorated list of achievements which include being a Super Bowl champion and Most Valuable Player in XLI.