Many expected Peyton Manning to retire as a member of the organization he spent 13 years with, but it appears that’s not the case.
According to a report from Dave Furst of WRTV, Manning has chosen to retire as a Bronco, not a Colt.
Sources tell me Peyton thought hard about “retiring as a member of #Colts.” Gave serious consideration. But, ultimately decided no.
— Dave Furst (@DaveFurst) March 17, 2016
Manning spent 13 seasons in Indianapolis, racking up 54,828 passing yards and 399 touchdowns. He led the Colts to the playoffs in all but two of those seasons, and was a major factor in the team’s victory over the Bears in Super Bowl XLI.
But Manning didn’t stop there. He signed with the Broncos in March 2012, and later broke Drew Brees’ record for passing yards in a single season, racking up 5,477 in 2013. Furthermore, he tossed 55 touchdowns that same year, which was five more than Tom Brady threw in 2007. He also won another ring when the team defeated the Panthers in Super Bowl 50 last month.
Even with everything he accomplished in Denver, it comes as a surprise that Manning isn’t retiring as a member of the Colts. There were rumors of dissension between him and team owner Jim Irsay, dating back to when Manning was released. Irsay also went on to say that the team was changing its model and that it wanted to win championships (rather than just clinching division titles), which seemed to be a veiled shot at Manning.
We’ll probably never know for sure whether or not Manning is upset about how his tenure in Indianapolis ended, but his decision to retire (according to the report) with the organization that he spent only four seasons with speaks volumes.
All that matters, though, at the end of the day, is that one of the greatest quarterbacks in NFL history will be retiring as a Bronco.