Peyton Manning is close to making it official and calling it a career.
According to ESPN’s Chris Mortensen who originally reported on the story, the 18-year veteran will be announcing his retirement on Monday. This after vast speculation in the weeks following his victory in Super Bowl 50 as to whether or not the 2015 season would be his last. Manning did have a year left on his original five-year deal signed in 2012.
Filed to ESPN: Five-time NFL MVP Peyton Manning will announce his retirement Monday in Denver per source familiar with the QB's decision
— Chris Mortensen (@mortreport) March 6, 2016
Peyton Manning To Call It a Career After 18 NFL Seasons
Manning’s career spanned nearly two decades and included stints with both the Colts and the Broncos. Originally drafted first overall by Indy in the 1998 NFL Draft out of Tennessee, he quickly emerged as one of the NFL’s top signal callers. In just his second season, the Colts would win their division (they were in the AFC East at the time) and clinch a playoff berth before bowing out in the divisional round.
It would be the beginning of a golden era in Colts franchise history with Manning behind center. They would make the playoffs in ten of the next 11 seasons, missing just once in 2001. The following year, Tony Dungy was brought in as head coach, establishing one of the great quarterback-coach partnerships in league history.
Manning’s first title came in Super Bowl XLI, when the Colts upended the Chicago Bears 29-17. He completed 25 of 38 passes and threw for 238 yards and touchdown en route to game MVP honors. Three years later, he would make his second Super Bowl appearance against New Orleans in Jim Caldwell’s first season as head coach. It did not go as well as Manning threw a crucial pick six late in the game, with the Saints winning 31-17.
Though Manning’s time in Indy was cut short due to major neck surgery in 2011 which caused him to miss the season and get subsequently released, the Colts franchise experienced unprecedented success during his 14 seasons. They went a combined record of 141-51 in regular season games he started, won eight division titles, made two Super Bowl appearances and took home a Lombardi Trophy.
The Broncos would sign Manning to a five-year, $96 million contract in 2012. Despite concerns over how effective he’d be after his neck operation, he quickly squashed those doubts. Denver would win the AFC West in all four of Manning’s seasons with the team.
His 2013 season will likely go down as the greatest for a quarterback in NFL history. He set NFL records with 5,477 yards and 55 passing touchdowns. Despite the regular season success, Manning would suffer his second Super Bowl loss as Denver ran into the buzzsaw that was the Seattle Seahawks defense, falling 43-8.
But two seasons later, he would be back, though much less effective. Despite missing nine regular games due to multiple injuries including a torn plantar fasciae, he embraced his role as a game manager, especially in the playoffs. The top-seeded Broncos would march to a Super Bowl 50 title behind an imposing defense, defeating the Carolina Panthers 24-10. Manning’s numbers weren’t impressive by any means but the win meant that the Sheriff was able to ride off into the sunset.
Manning is a surefire first-ballot Hall of Famer. His 14 Pro Bowls is tied with three other players (Tony Gonzalez, Bruce Matthews and Merlin Olsen) for most all-time. And no other player in NFL history has won as many AP MVP awards (five) as Manning has.
