By Bart Batey
When Peyton Manning made the decision to sign with the
Denver Broncos, he ended the pursuit of the biggest free agent in the history
of the NFL. His new deal, 5 years for $96 million, reflects the massive amount
of hype that now surrounds the new Broncos quarterback. The Decision (without
the jersey burnings and ESPN special) sent shockwaves throughout the league and
some repercussions have yet to surface.
The Broncos obviously put together an impressive sales pitch
to Manning. They offered more than $40 million in cap room, allowing them to
sign more free agents than just Manning, but this result was based on more than
just money. Manning, who has spent his entire career with the Colts, was
looking for a certain level of comfort. The fact that the leader of the Broncos’
push for Manning, John Elway, is a Hall of Fame quarterback can’t hurt. John
Lynch and Brandon Stokley, two friends of Manning also reside in Denver and
Manning’s backup quarterback at Tennessee is currently the starting first-baseman
for the Colorado Rockies, Todd Helton. The Broncos’ offensive coordinator, Mike
McCoy, has also shown that he is flexible with his scheme and willing to fit
the offense to the quarterback’s strengths. These factors combined to make
Denver a very attractive destination for Manning.
Manning’s decision impacts the Broncos more than any other
team. This is John Elway’s biggest move since becoming involved in the front
office a little over a year ago. Because Elway is the franchise’s gold standard
at quarterback and helped bring Manning to Denver, the two will inevitably be
compared. Manning will join Elway in the Hall of Fame one day and both
quarterbacks are thought of as two of the best ever. Broncos fans can hope that
Manning can copy Elway’s postseason success late in his career. Elway’s two
super bowl victories came when he was 37 and 38 and Manning will be 36 when he
takes his first snap for Denver.
You can’t talk about the implications of Manning’s signing
without mentioning Tim Tebow (big surprise, right?). After the move, Tebow found
himself without a starting job and on the trade block. The Jets have a deal in
place that would send fourth and sixth-round picks to Denver for Tebow and a
seventh-round pick, but the deal hit a snag on who would pay $5 million of
Tebow’s salary. Tebow can be a valuable player for the Jets if used in certain
packages, especially with Tony Sporano, the coach who first used the wildcat
formation, now running the offense. If the deal with the Jets falls through,
the Rams are also ready to make a deal. For now, it looks like Tebow will have
to accept a backup role, but I wouldn’t be surprised if he resurfaces as a
starter in a few years.
The Broncos’ draft strategy is probably changed by the
addition of Manning, as well. Adding more weapons for Manning or improving the
offensive line could be focuses. Concentrating on the improving defense could
also be the strategy. Possibly the most interesting possibility is Mike
Wallace, the Steelers’ Pro Bowl wide receiver. Wallace is a restricted free
agent, so signing him would mean handing Denver’s first-round pick to the
Steelers, but Wallace is an explosive, established NFL receiver who is only 25.
Signing Wallace makes more sense than drafting a receiver, such as Baylor’s
Kendall Wright, in the late first-round. It will be interesting to see what
direction the Broncos take in April’s draft.
Free agency for the Broncos will also be affected. Look for
Denver to be very aggressive in pursuing former Colts, such as Jeff Saturday,
Dallas Clark, and Joseph Addai. Saturday has been Manning’s center for a long
time and Dallas Clark fills a need at tight end. Addai is a very good
third-down back. These players are also leaders and can help other players
adjust to Manning’s expectations and precision.
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| Manning sporting the number 16 jersey in a Madden 12 screenshot. Courtesy of pastapadre.com. |
Manning has sent the expectations for the 2012 Broncos
through the roof. The Broncos will be favored to win the AFC West even though
they have the second hardest schedule in the league and will face tough
divisional competition. Oakland will continue to improve as Carson Palmer
becomes more comfortable, San Diego will be extremely talented as usual, and
the Chiefs will have Eric Berry and Jamaal Charles back. Denver might even be
called a Super Bowl contender, but it is far too early to say this, especially
after the 2011 “Dream Team” Eagles. If Manning is his old self, the Broncos’
chances to make the playoffs are good, but any higher expectations at this
point are premature.
The Manning deal also affected teams throughout the NFL. By
far, the teams that are most affected by the move are the ones that lost out on
Manning. These teams face the challenge of filling their quarterback questions
some other way.
The Titans are still in a good position after coming up a
little short in the Manning sweepstakes. They have a solid veteran in Matt
Hasselbeck and a promising young player in Jake Locker at quarterback who lead
the team to a 9-7 record last year. Tennessee is a young team that could be
even better in 2012.
San Francisco has resigned Alex Smith so they seem set at
the quarterback position for this year. Smith took a long look at Miami, but
decided to say with the 49ers. Smith seemed disappointed that the 49ers courted
another quarterback, but players that are as good as Peyton Manning don’t
become available every day.
Arizona fell out of the Manning race after bringing him in
for a visit. After ending their pursuit of Manning, Arizona paid Kevin Kolb a
large roster bonus, committing to him for at least the upcoming season.
After an early exit from the chase for Manning, Seattle
signed Matt Flynn. They gave a lot of money to an unproven backup quarterback
(cough, Kevin Kolb in 2011) but only $10 million of his contract is guaranteed.
Flynn will probably upgrade the position for a promising team in 2012.
Miami is the biggest loser in this entire situation. The
Dolphins didn’t land Manning, Smith, or Flynn and ended up signing former
Jaguar David Gerrard. However, Matt Moore quietly had a solid season in 2011
and will compete for the starting job next season.
The Peyton Manning signing has had effects throughout the
league, but especially for the teams that were fighting for his services. The
Broncos have elevated their expectations for next season and will be an
exciting team to watch in 2012. The move also resulted in more quarterback
signings and only leaves one question: when does football season start?
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