The texts came in the darkness. Peyton Manning made his last audible, reaching out to friends, competitors and teammates.
After 28 days of deliberation, Manning retired, drawing the curtain on a breathtaking 18-year career in which he broke every meaningful NFL passing record and won two Super Bowls.
He spoke to Broncos general manager John Elway and coach Gary Kubiak on Saturday night, informing them of his decision. Then he took to his phone, alerting those closest to him. Manning will hold a news conference at 11 a.m. Monday at Dove Valley.
“When you look at everything Peyton has accomplished as a player and person, it’s easy to see how fortunate we’ve been to have him on our team,” Elway said. “Peyton was everything that we thought he was and even more — not only for the football team, but in the community. I’m very thankful Peyton chose to play for the Denver Broncos, and I congratulate him on his Hall of Fame career.”
Manning won a league-best five MVP awards. He owns 14 4,000-yard passing seasons and is the only quarterback to win a Super Bowl with two different franchises. Manning’s final game, a victory in Super Bowl 50, wasn’t his finest, but it provided an exclamation point to a hall-of-fame career in which he redefined preparation for his position.
“He loved the meetings. He loved practice. Peyton was always trying to find an edge,” said Hall of Fame tight end Shannon Sharpe, who received a middle-of-the-night text from Manning. “You think everyone can do that. That’s a gift. There was only one (Albert) Einstein. There will never be another quarterback like Peyton.”
Manning helped the underdog Broncos defeat Carolina 24-10 in Super Bowl 50, making him the first starting quarterback to win an NFL title with two franchises and the oldest at age 39, eclipsing Elway’s record.
Denver Post columnist Woody Paige first reported that Manning would retire and inform the Broncos of his decision by the end of this past week. ESPN reported early Sunday morning that the announcement would come Monday.
“It was a blessing to coach Peyton Manning. Nobody worked harder at the game and nobody prepared harder,” Kubiak said. “His preparation was the best I have ever seen.”
Until this past season, Manning defined his organization’s success, his teams rarely winning if he didn’t play well.
Deteriorating skills, advancing age and a torn plantar fascia in his left foot marginalized Manning in his final season. Manning proved an awkward fit in Kubiak’s zone-blocking, run-first, under-center offensive scheme after operating out of the shotgun for most of his career. Despite compiling a 7-2 record, he threw interceptions in his first nine games. He crash landed in a Nov. 15 game against Kansas City in Denver. Kubiak benched Manning in favor of Brock Osweiler after Manning’s fourth interception left him with a 0.0 quarterback rating in the loss. A magnetic resonance imaging exam the next day confirmed his foot injury, which first surfaced as soreness before the season and became gradually worse.
His foot responded in the days leading up to the regular-season finale, though he began the day on the bench as a healthy backup. After the Broncos’ fifth turnover against San Diego, Kubiak called on Manning to caffeinate a sluggish offense. In his most important contribution this past season, Manning helped the Broncos secure home-field advantage in the playoffs by leading three consecutive second-half scoring drives.
“I have never been on a sideline where the vibe changed like that,” defensive end Antonio Smith said. “When he went into the game, we knew we were going to win.”
Manning went 3-0 in the playoffs, serving as a game manager in a conservative attack designed to play to the team’s historically strong defense.
The Super Bowl wins “were certainly different, but it’s a special feeling,” said Manning, who completed 13-of-23 passes for 141 yards and one interception in Super Bowl 50. “I certainly knew how hard it is to get here. You’ve got to have some good fortune. It’s very special.”
Manning committed three turnovers in the three victories and finished with a 14-13 playoff record. Only one hall-of-fame quarterback won the Super Bowl in his final game: Elway. Manning will join him with that honor in Canton, Ohio, in five years.
“He got to go out the way we all want to go out,” said Oakland Raiders safety Charles Woodson, like Manning a member of the 1998 draft class who retired after this season. “It’s great to see it happen like that for him.”
Manning’s $19 million salary for 2016 would have become guaranteed Tuesday. Manning weighed his health and options over the past two weeks after returning from a vacation in Mexico. The Broncos were prepared to move on, attempting to secure Osweiler with a three-year contract offer for about $39 million.
Manning’s departure before the fifth season of his deal leaves $2.5 million counting against the Broncos’ salary cap this season. It brings to an end the most tumultuous year of Manning’s career, one during which he faced insinuations of having used human growth hormone in 2011 and was mentioned in a lawsuit filed by a group of women alleging the University of Tennessee violated Title IX regulations and created a “hostile sexual environment.”
Manning’s final season provided a jarring contrast to his first three in Denver, when he padded a stat-heavy résumé that made him one of the greatest free-agent signings in league history. Manning posted a 45-12 regular-season record in Denver and guided the Broncos to two Super Bowls. He completed 1,443 of 2,170 passes for 17,112 yards with 140 touchdowns and 53 interceptions..
His 2013 season ranks as the high-water mark of quarterback play. Manning set a single-season record with 55 touchdown passes as the Broncos scored an NFL-record 606 points.
“He changed the position forever,” said Hall of Famer Joe Namath, alluding to Manning’s work ethic and film study. “No one played the position like he did.”
