Peyton Manning To Texans, The Mistake That Never Happened
By Randy Gurzi
I couldn’t help but laugh out loud to myself just a little when I read the title to an article by Will Brinson of CBS Sports. The title was simply, Peyton Manning trade rumors make no sense from Broncos side.
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It seems that everyone has forgotten how slow the ball came out of the hand of Manning down the stretch last season with Denver, as well as the stalled drives and passes that couldn’t travel more than 15 yards. The fact is Peyton Manning is in the conversation for the greatest of all-time at quarterback. He was for a period the NFL’s version of Michael Jordan, an unstoppable player with insane marketability.
However, that time has passed and the once great Manning is more reminiscent of Jordan during his time with the Washington Wizards than his prime. Near the end of the year, Manning struggled to make things happen with an outstanding cast of players like receivers Demaryius Thomas and Emmanuel Sanders, as well as tight end Julius Thomas.
If Peyton couldn’t move the ball with those weapons, do you feel safe with him throwing to a team with only one proven playmaker in receiver DeAndre Hopkins? So to me, the trade rumor makes no sense, from the Texans side of things.
Manning is now 39 years and was drafted 1st overall by the Indianapolis Colts in 1998. Want some perspective? The Houston Texans became a franchise four years into Manning’s career. Money is as much a deterrent to the Texans pursuit of Manning as age, and while Brinson believes Denver should keep Manning, he also makes a point that proves why Houston should have never had any interest.
"There’s also the whole issue of dealing a 39-year-old who’s making $34 million over the next two years (although the cap hits and dead money weren’t bad in that deal … until it was restructured). On the other hand, Manning had a no-trade clause added to his contract when it was restructured in Denver, a giant red flag for the possibility of him being traded."
As with most things in the NFL (especially during a slow news period) this whole thing was probably blown way out of proportion and most likely was never close to even being a possibility. Yet, it is a good thing that a team that already has $100 million tied to defensive end J.J. Watt decided to pass on a high-priced 39-year old quarterback.