SANTA CLARA, Calif. — With his young son in his arms and a broad smile on his face, Peyton Manning walked through a sea of reporters and fans toward the Broncos locker room Sunday night. He interrupted his exit with pauses to scan gold-confetti speckled Levi’s Stadium. If Super Bowl 50 wasn’t Manning’s final game, it certainly appeared like it as he soaked in the moment.
Those close to the quarterback believed he was ready to announce he would retire in the days leading up the game, a conviction that only grew stronger after the Broncos’ 24-10 victory over Carolina. Manning remained non-committal afterward, careful not to take the focus away from the team’s achievement. He went to Disneyland with his family Monday, and said he will take “little time” before making a decision.
“I spoke with Tony Dungy, who gave me some good advice (last week) to kind of let this sink in,” said Manning, talking about his former coach in Indianapolis.
Waiting for Manning inside the bowels of the stadium were his parents and brothers Eli and Cooper. Nobody wanted to miss a thing.
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Manning, who has one non-guaranteed year remaining on his Broncos contract, is expected to walk away with a storybook finish. But if he continues to play, it was likely his last game as a Bronco with the team’s desire to re-sign free-agent Brock Osweiler. Denver has several key free agents, and won’t be able to allocate starting money to two quarterbacks.
“I think Peyton’s done in Denver … he’s maybe done everywhere,” said father Archie Manning in The New York Post, and added, “That’s my guess.”
Though he wasn’t as efficient as in his previous two playoff games, Manning, 39, made history. He became the oldest quarterback to win a Super Bowl, and the first to start and claim championships for two franchises. Monday, coach Gary Kubiak praised Manning, who missed six weeks with a torn plantar fascia in his left foot, creating uncertainty about whether he would ever play again.
“The job he did this year to make his way back for our football team was the difference in us being a champion or not,” Kubiak said. “What he had to go through physically was very difficult, and it was tough on him mentally. But him fighting the battle to get back, getting himself in position to lead our team again the last month, it says so much about him as a person. We all know what type of career he has had as a player, but as a person, it has been tremendous.”
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Manning suffered through his most difficult season as a pro. He threw interceptions in his first nine starts before injury forced him to the sidelines. He followed a stairstep routine in his recovery, healing in a walking boot, followed by rehab, throwing sessions with practice-squad receiver Jordan Taylor, team practice and ultimately a return to the lineup in the third quarter of the season finale. It was then he made his most important contribution.
Manning rallied the Broncos against San Diego with three consecutive scoring drives, a victory that allowed the Broncos to secure the No. 1 seed and homefield advantage throughout the playoffs.
Manning went 11 quarters without a turnover, playing a smaller, but critical role in managing the game plan.
“We have never ever seen 18 have to do that. He overcame a lot. He showed us he is a true pro on and off the field,” said Broncos running back C.J. Anderson, who scored Denver’s only offensive touchdown Sunday. “He had true adversity and overcame it.”
Troy E. Renck: trenck@denverpost.com or @troyrenck
