Mile-high Manning: Why Peyton chose Denver and what it means to the NFL

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.

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?