The Denver Broncos tried to trade quarterback Peyton Manning this offseason? There’s almost no way this could be true. Look, I’ve gone on record many times saying that Peyton is not the best quarterback of all time (at the very least Joe Montana and Tom Brady are ahead of him), but these Peyton Manning trade rumors can’t be true. Manning has won a Super Bowl and he is better than any of the other options the Broncos would have had to choose from. Brock Osweiler is not an upgrade from Manning, so the rumors that the Broncos tried to trade Manning to the Houston Texans during the offseason can’t possibly be true. That was my initial reaction, and, while my first instincts to sports rumors are not always correct, this time I believe my gut reaction is on the money. There’s just no way Denver’s front office would have willingly walked away from the former Tennessee quarterback.
Yes, Manning added a no-trade clause to his contract for 2015 and many people are pointing out that could mean Manning was worried that Denver did want to unload him. But that’s not necessarily true because Manning could have just wanted to ensure he played at least one more season in Denver. If the Broncos really wanted to move onto Osweiler, they wouldn’t have allowed the no-trade clause to be added to Manning’s new contract.
It’s also true that Manning struggled down the stretch last season, but much of that can be attributed to him dealing with a hip injury. Even if he has declined slightly he is still the best option the Broncos have on their roster, and the Texans don’t have a quarterback to offer Denver who would be an upgrade from Manning. There have been some changes in Denver (tight end Julius Thomas is now in Jacksonville and Gary Kubiak took over as head coach), but with Mr. “cut that meat” still under center in Denver, the Broncos are most likely the favorite in the AFC West and they will probably be a contender in the AFC. If Manning is removed from the equation, the Broncos are no longer favorites in their own division.
The Broncos have emphatically denied these Manning trade rumors and that is probably the truth. Denver wanting to part ways with Manning just wouldn’t make any sense. There is one reason and one reason only for Denver to actually have floated Manning’s name in trade talks and that is because they were struggling with respect to the salary cap this offseason. Putting Manning’s name out there could have possibly been a way to gain some leverage during contract negotiations. And for what is worth, Manning did agree to take a $4 million pay cut this season to stay in Denver. Other than that, putting Manning on the trade block would have made less than zero sense from a Broncos perspective.
