Peyton Manning’s comments on Aaron Rodgers good for Drew Lock?
Denver Broncos quarterback Peyton Manning is hopeful of the idea of Aaron Rodgers staying with the Green Bay Packers. Rodgers has been heavily rumored to be interested in the Broncos if he eventually got traded.
The Broncos currently have Drew Lock and Teddy Bridgewater who will compete for the starting job.
Manning’s latest comments hint that he would be happy with the Broncos sticking with Lock as their starting quarterback.
"“When I think of Aaron, I think of him as a Green Bay Packer…” Manning said. “Hopefully, they can get it worked out. I look forward to seeing him play this year somewhere.”— Former Broncos quarterback Peyton Manning to TMZ."
Manning stated that he hopes that Rodgers and the Packers will eventually be able to hash things out and heal from this feud between them. If that ultimately happened, then Rodgers would not become a member of the Broncos.
That would mean that Lock would (probably) remain the starting quarterback of the Broncos in 2021.
It’s not a huge surprise that Manning feels this way. He’s been down a somewhat similar road with the Indianapolis Colts—in terms of wondering what his future will end up being.
Another similarity between his and Rodgers’ situation is that their teams let go of a person who they really, really wanted to keep around. Back in 2012, it was Manning being unhappy the team fired strength and conditioning coach Jon Torine. For Rodgers, it’s the fact that they cut wide receiver Jake Kumerow (plus the fact that they have not done much through the draft to help Rodgers out).
Now, as a former Bronco, I would want Manning’s specific comments on the Rodgers-Broncos speculation but the fact that he didn’t name the team in this interview by TMZ is important to note.
Manning has been helping Lock this offseason, according to guard Dalton Risner. From watching film together to pre-snap stances, and most likely a lot more, it’s clear that Manning wants Lock to succeed.
Whether that be in Denver for the long-term remains to be seen but Manning made no mention of Rodgers and Denver. We might have more clarity on the Rodgers situation on June 2nd (post-June 1 transactions).
Or, the whole situation could potentially last a lot longer and not actually be over in the next twelve days.
As long as Rodgers is not a member of the Denver Broncos, Lock might be feeling a lot better in regards to his extended tenure with the team. Manning seems to be okay with that outcome.