Peyton Manning isn’t giving interviews, but he is giving speeches. And he keeps sounding like he wants to keep playing.
On Wednesday, Manning gave a speech in Florida and didn’t sound like a man who’s ready to retire. And today, Manning gave a speech in Las Vegas and once again sounded like he thinks he has another season left in him.
Michele Steele of ESPN attended the speech and said Manning gave no indication that he’s done playing. Manning also talked about his playing career in the present tense, not the past tense.
“My vision is to compete against the very best at the highest level,” Manning said.
So six days after a Denver Post report that Manning would retire (a report that we immediately called into question and that the Broncos disputed), we don’t have clarity on Manning’s plans. But we do have indications that he wants to keep playing. The biggest question may be not whether Manning wants to play, but whether any team wants a 40-year-old Manning to be its quarterback in 2016.