Chiefs General Manager Scott Pioli says his team was an early entry in the Peyton Manning sweepstakes, but never had a chance.
Pioli told the Associated Press on Tuesday that Manning told him shortly after becoming a free agent that he had a list of teams he was interested in, and the Chiefs weren’t on that list.
“Clearly he had a plan. He let me know that,” Pioli said. “He didn’t get into the details. He was up front about what he was doing, some of the visits he wanted to take, and we initially weren’t a part of that.”
Pioli’s comments confirm what’s been previously reported, that the Chiefs were in the Manning hunt at the start but exited it quickly, when Manning rebuffed them. Pioli said he respected the way Manning went about things, even if he was disappointed by Manning’s answer.
“I’ve spent a lot of time with him, around him, communicating with him, competing against his teams,” Pioli said of Manning. “He had a plan, he executed it, and he never explained to me, nor did I ask.”
Pioli said he’s comfortable going into the 2012 season with a quarterback depth chart consisting of Matt Cassel, Brady Quinn and Ricky Stanzi. And that’s the quarterback depth chart the Chiefs will have when they play Manning and the Broncos twice this year.