To the extent that Peyton Manning is looking to parlay a contract for his services as a player into a contract for his services as an executive, it’s working.
Titans owner Bud Adams told KHOU radio in Houston on Wednesday that he has offered Peyton a contract “for life.”
Adams also said he “feels great” about the team’s chances of landing Manning.
As previously mentioned, the idea of welcoming Peyton into the front office upon retirement could make for more than a little awkwardness, given that the jobs and the duties Peyton may be eyeballing already are spoken for. (Including giving the opposition a double-barreled middle finger during games.)
Then there’s the question of how a contract that contains financial promises beyond the expiration of the playing career impacts the salary cap. A post-playing-career maneuver once made by Broncos owner Pat Bowlen regarding quarterback John Elway contributed to a finding that the team had violated the salary-cap rules.
And so, before any contract “for life” becomes effective, the league office will have to approve it. In the end, it’s possible that the playing part of the lifetime contract will be addressed in writing, and that the balance of the business will be accomplished via a series of winks and nods.