Peyton Manning Close To Signing $95 Million Contract With Broncos
March 20, 2012 4 Comments
The Denver Broncos got their Man. Make that Peyton Manning. Pending final contract negotiations, Manning will join John Elway’s Broncos with hopes of winning another Super Bowl.
So much for Tebowmania.
Still to be decided is what happens to last season’s quarterback sensation, Tim Tebow.
The Broncos and Manning agent Tom Condon spent Monday working out parameters of a deal expected to be worth about $95 million over five years after the NFL’s only four-time MVP called Elway, the Broncos’ revered QB-turned-executive, and told him he had decided to come to Denver.
Tennessee Titans owner Bud Adams also said Manning let him know that he had picked the Broncos. Adams released a statement Monday confirming the Titans were out of the running and later said to The Tennessean: “He called me himself and told me he wasn’t coming, that he made his mind up to go with Denver.”
Besides the Titans, the San Francisco 49ers had been a finalist in the chase for Manning, who turns 36 on Saturday and missed all of 2011 because of multiple neck surgeries.
ESPN first reported the record-setting quarterback instructed his agent to negotiate the details of a deal with the Broncos, less than two weeks after the Indianapolis Colts released him rather than pay a $28 million bonus.
“I think it’s a great place for him,” Broncos defensive end Robert Ayers said outside the Broncos’ complex. “I don’t think he made a bad decision. I think he made a great decision. Hopefully we can prove him right and hopefully we can win a lot of games here.”
Despite being sidelined all of last season, Manning’s success in the past – the Colts averaged a 12-4 record from 2001-10 – made him by far this offseason’s top potential signing and perhaps the most desired free agent ever.
He was wooed to Denver by Hall of Fame quarterback Elway, who led the Broncos to two Super Bowl championships and now serves as their vice president of football operations.
Elway, who retired from the game after winning his second straight title in 1999, never sounded all that convinced Tebow was the answer at the sport’s most important position and now could trade the enormously popular but flawed QB.
Tebow has been trying to speak to God all day about this, but he keeps being sent to Voicemail
$95 damn! is he married? 😉
5 years $100M?…5YEARS??!!
Wait for the details … i bet he gets most of that in the 1st two years ($45-$50 Million prolly).
what i REALLY wonder … everyone assumes Tebow is too expensive to stay under the cap, but he’s under his rookie contract (which isn’t huge) for another year. (he did get a huge signing bonus in the draft that doesn’t affect his salary cap-wise).
WOULD Tebow take a pay-cut to stay on the bench learning from the best QB (debateably) to play the game? He stayed an extra year in college for his school, risking injury and career, to try to bring another championship. Their’s also the option of a ‘franchise’ tag (though it wouldnt’ happen this year), which could help get them under the cap.
Tebow the love affair is over!