Manning Retirement?

Peyton Manning has recently stoked the fires about a potential retirement. When discussing baseball player Derek Jeter, who is playing his final season for the New York Yankees before retiring, he stated that he was “not far behind”.  Now it is hardly a definitive answer but could the upcoming NFL season be the curtain closer for Manning?

His Denver Broncos are the second favorites for the 2015 Super Bowl in the NFL betting and you feel that if Manning were successful this time around it would be a fitting time to call it a day. You want to go out on the top of your game and Manning knows that, a Super Bowl victory next year will not only be the perfect send off for the game’s greatest Quarterback but it will also be very hard to eclipse. If the Broncos do reign supreme, which Betfair suggests, then we may see Manning retire.

At 38-years-old he is not getting any younger and unsurprisingly Manning’s body is starting to feel the toil of the contact sport, he recently told David Letterman that his body is “not at 100 percent”. His neck troubles are well documented and you feel that if he picks up any more injuries this season then his body will not be able to take it, leaving retirement as the only viable option.

Denver Broncos QB Peyton Manning

This is Peyton Manning we are talking about though. Last season he broke all sorts of NFL records and named MVP for a fifth time and it is hardly surprising that Betfair favors him for a sixth. For the time being, Manning can not only cut it in the NFL but he is the bar-setter and it would be utopian to believe that he won’t be able to cut it next year. As long as Manning still believes that he can continue playing at the level he sets himself then he will continue.

This season is Manning’s third of a five-season deal with the Broncos, would he have signed a deal of that length if he did not think he could play until he was 40? The answer is no. Manning isn’t motivated by money, he just wants to play and this contract is a clear indicator that he isn’t going to follow Jeter’s example. Brett Favre played until his 41, so Manning should definitely make 40. This is more than likely to be Manning’s last NFL contract but you can bet, sadly not with Betfair, he will see it out.

It was certainly cryptic what Manning said but it should be taken in jest. He’s old so of course he is going to be thinking of retirement, but, more importantly, he is a competitor, he’ll want to play the game he loves for as long as possible. As long as he doesn’t get injured Manning will continue to play until the culmination of his Broncos contract.