As broken this morning by Chris Mortensen, Peyton Manning ended the days of rumor and speculation by choosing to join the Denver Broncos over the San Francisco 49ers, Tennessee Titans, and any other teams who might have been interested. Adam Schefter indicates the deal is done barring an unexpected contract snag. Mike Klis of the Denver Post indicates Peyton and the Broncos have agreed on the parameters of a deal in the neighborhood of five years, $90 million.
Obviously this is a move that will have ramifications beyond just Denver. The Broncos won the AFC West last year with an anemic passing game, which Peyton will obviously upgrade. Life just got harder for the Chiefs, Raiders, and Chargers. Tennessee is relatively set at quarterback with Jake Locker the future and possibly the present, but missed out on what they otherwise might have been able to do in free agency. San Francisco may choose to up their offer to Alex Smith unless they’re willing to roll with Colin Kaepernick in his second season or possibly a stopgap like Josh Johnson.
In terms of the Broncos, Demaryius Thomas was a great fit at times and playing for a taskmaster like Peyton should help him improve his still-raw route-running. Eric Decker, assuming he recovers from his season-ending injury, already runs good routes and should catch a lot of passes this season. Athletic tight end Julius Thomas, if he develops, could be in the mix for a productivity boost. Peyton could also be joined by a couple former Colts in Denver, possibly including center Jeff Saturday (J.D. Walton was undersized and not great), Dallas Clark, and running back Joseph Addai.
We’ll have more to say about Peyton and the Broncos going forward, but right now they’re reportedly celebrating at Broncos headquarters because John Elway did in fact get his man.
