Peyton Manning makes his decision…it’s Denver
Mar 19, 2012, 3:22 PM | Updated: 4:50 pm
Just three days after eliminating the Arizona Cardinals as
a free agent possibility, Peyton Manning has made his
decision.
According to Chris Mortensen of ESPN, Manning has chosen
to sign with the Denver Broncos.
Manning to Broncos…more coming on Espn
—
Chris Mortensen (@mortreport) March 19,
2012
Then, ESPN insider Adam Schefter jumped into the fray as
well…
Peyton Manning called John Elway this morning to tell
him he’s looking forward to coming to play for him.— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) March
19, 2012
Manning had five teams on his radar at one point or
another after being released by the Indianapolis Colts on
March 7.
The future Hall of Fame quarterback visited the Broncos
first, followed by a visit to Arizona and the Cardinals
just a day later. He also visited with the Miami Dolphins
and Tennessee Titans and had a secret workout with the San
Francisco 49ers all before making his intentions known
Monday morning.
In fact, according to Schefter, Manning was very close to
choosing the 49ers.
“Peyton Manning’s head was telling him the San Francsico
49ers, but his heart was telling him the Denver Broncos,”
he said on ESPN’s Sportscenter. “That ultimately is what
he decided.”
Schefter added that Manning loved the idea of playing for
the 49ers, but decided he did not want to change
conferences and go to the NFC.
Manning missed the entire 2011 campaign as he recovered
from four separate surgeries on his neck. Without him,
the Colts went 2-14 and have the number one pick in
April’s NFL Draft, with which they are expected to take
Stanford quarterback Andrew Luck.
With Denver being the choice, trade talks are expected to
begin immediately surrounding Tim Tebow, who led the
Broncos during a 6-game winning streak, an AFC West title
and a playoff win over the Pittsburgh Steelers in 2011.
