Denver Broncos quarterback Peyton Manning, arguably one of the best the NFL has ever seen, is expected to announce his retirement on Monday.
The news was first reported on Twitter by ESPN’s Chris Mortensen and comes as it becomes increasingly clear that the Broncos were getting prepared for life without Manning. The Denver Post reported on March 5 that the team has just made a three-year contract offer to Manning’s back-up, Brock Osweiler.
Manning retires with two Super Bowl victories out of four appearances in the championship game. In February, he won his second, with the Broncos’ stellar defence making up for a lackluster offensive performance in Super Bowl 50. His first Super Bowl came at Super Bowl XLI, when he was still with the Indianapolis Colts.
Manning was drafted first overall in 1998 by the Indianapolis Colts and might have stayed there his entire career had he not been sidelines during the 2011 season for a neck injury. The Colts allowed him to leave as a free agent, so he spend the last four years of his career with the Broncos. During the 2015 season, he only played in 10 games, missing starts due to injury.
He finishes with an astonishing 186-79 regular season record, tying him with Brett Favre for the most ever, notes ESPN. He also holds the records for passing touchdowns (539) and passing yards (71,940). Manning is also the only five-time NFL MVP in the game’s history. However, his postseason records weren’t as strong, only posting a 14-13 record and was 9-10 with the Colts.
While Manning was deciding his future, there were reports that could tarnish his legacy. Al Jazeera America reported that the banned substance HGH was sent to his wife Ashley. Manning called the report “garbage” and has denied using HGH.
Another controversy arose when a New York Daily News columnist wrote about an alleged incident in 1996, when Manning was at the University of Tennessee. He allegedly assaulted a female trainer, who sued him and the two sides later settled. The incident was listed in a lawsuit filed by women against Tennessee, which they claim did not do enough about assaults by student-athletes.
Manning will still likely be a first-ballot Hall of Famer in five years. Of course, he hasn’t said anything about the report and The Denver Post notes that he still spoke about his career in the present tense at a Las Vegas speech.
The Denver Broncos have since announced on their website that the retirement was official. Broncos CEO and President Jim Ellis said, "The Denver Broncos are so proud to have called Peyton Manning our quarterback for the last four years, and we can't thank him enough for his many contributions to our team and community."