Three weeks ago, Peyton Manning was reportedly planning to announce within the next week that he would return to the Broncos. Except the next week came and went, and another week came and went, and there was silence from Manning.
So does that mean Manning still might decide to retire?
Actually, probably not. As Mike Klis of the Denver Post said on PFT Live (and as other reporters have noted as well), from all indications Manning and the Broncos have both decided that he will be Denver’s quarterback this year. There are still issues to address -- including Manning passing a physical and perhaps restructuring his contract -- but everyone seems to agree that Manning will be back, and that an announcement is coming soon.
The biggest question seems to be whether Manning is willing to take a pay cut. If the Broncos are able to convince Manning that taking less than the $19 million he’s owed will make the team better suited to re-sign soon-to-be free agents Demaryius Thomas and Julius Thomas, that might be an idea Manning is amenable to. Manning would probably give up millions if he believed it would make him more likely to win his second Super Bowl, and giving up millions to keep both Thomases might be a sound investment for Manning in the long run.
So there are still issues to work out before Manning’s return for 2015 becomes official. But those issues should be resolved soon.