What would be a dream scenario in the future for Peyton Manning and the Broncos?
From 2012 to 2015, Peyton Manning provided the Denver Broncos with some of the best and most memorable years in franchise history.
The Broncos were Super Bowl contenders all four of Manning’s years with the team, and the legacy he left in a short amount of time is nothing short of incredible.
Since his retirement from professional football, Manning has remained a local in the Denver area and frequently visits the Broncos at practice, speaks to the team, makes appearances at the facility, and recently played some catch with Broncos GM John Elway.
What a glorious sight.
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There has been so much speculation about Manning’s future even though he seems to be quite enjoying retirement, hosting the show Peyton’s Places on ESPN+ while apparently fielding a number of lucrative offers to join the football TV world.
And turning those offers down, apparently.
With Tony Romo making $18 million annually doing games for CBS Sports, there’s certainly a lot of money to be made in the TV world for Manning, but up to this point, he seems to be holding out for something else.
Anything about Manning’s future in the NFL or any other professional realm is pure speculation at this point, but it would be amazing if he had a future with the Denver Broncos.
One logical point that has been made is that Manning could be a consultant in the front office with John Elway, but is that really what he wants to do in his next role? Being a general manager in the NFL is a position that comes with a ton of pressure and day-to-day responsibility. Manning could certainly do that if he wanted to, but would he turn down potentially $20 million annually to commentate on Monday Night Football to be an NFL general manager?
I personally believe there are bigger things in Manning’s future, and the idea has been thrown out there in the past for him to be a part-owner of a team.
According to an article on Bleacher Report, multiple sources ‘who have spent time with Manning’ say he really wants ownership stake in an NFL team.
Manning is one of the most respected and well-connected athletes in the world, especially in the NFL world.
My personal opinion is that there’s no coincidence that Manning has been turning down big-time TV opportunities, even in the interim, with ownership rumors persisting in the background. I also believe there’s no coincidence that Manning has remained in Denver and close to the Broncos’ organization.
Manning cares about the Broncos as a franchise and has remained an integral figure for the team over the past few seasons, calling up Drew Lock last season on a number of occasions and keeping in touch with him still this year.
One of the ideas that floated through my mind a while back was eventual co-ownership with someone like LeBron James, but James has plenty of other engagements at this time.
Another remodeled idea would be for Manning, John Elway, and perhaps Peyton’s brother Eli to attempt to become minority owners of the Broncos and run the team together.
That could be a lot of legends to have in the kitchen, but again, I’m reading the tea leaves here. Manning has remained so close to the Broncos, the opportunity could soon be there for him to get his foot in that door, and there are plenty of people in Denver and around the league who would likely support it.