Report: Rams monitoring Peyton Manning retirement decision

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Broncos quarterback Peyton Manning hasn’t made any public pronouncements about whether he’ll continue playing in 2016, although there have been plenty of reports and hints that he will be retiring after Super Bowl 50.

If he goes the other way, he’s under contract to the Broncos for one more season although his $21.5 million cap number and $19 million salary would be obstacles to his return. The Rams might be another option in the event Manning decides on another rodeo.

Adam Schefter of ESPN reports the Rams have had internal discussions about pursuing Manning if he’s available this offseason. Bringing in one of the NFL’s all-time greats would be a bigger draw for a first season in Los Angeles than the Case Keenum/Nick Foles duo that’s currently atop the depth chart and we already know that Rams coach Jeff Fisher is a Manning fan.

Any serious discussions about bringing Manning to L.A. would have to wait until he says he’s going to play in 2016, something that seems unlikely given everything we’ve seen and heard over the course of this season.

82 responses to “Report: Rams monitoring Peyton Manning retirement decision

  1. Why dont they see how Joe Montana feels about coming back? If the Rams are actually serious about winning then Peyton Manning should not be a consideration. The Broncos were able to squeeze the last couple of good years he had left….they guy is done.

  2. Please don’t do it Mr. Manning. You’ll get thrashed like a rag doll. Visions of Favre laying face down, knocked out on the frozen field in Minneapolis. Think of Stabler and CTE. Play hard Sunday, leave it all on the field, and walk away as an all-time great.

  3. Never gonna happen. If you honestly think Peyton is sticking around for the money you’re either not paying attention or you’re stupid.

  4. Odds are pretty slim that, even if he decided to play another season, and they really wanted him, that he would go with them.

    He’s been pretty adamant in the past about not having to compete directly with Eli in order to get to a Super Bowl. He would much rather stay in the AFC and only have to worry if the two somehow both manager to get there.

  5. It is hard to believe that Manning will elect to continue playing after this year, particularly with a team that is not on the cusp of getting to the big dance. Beyond the HGH investigation there’s the simple matter of his play this past season.
    It’s also hard to believe that anyone that has had the pleasure of watching him play through out his storied career wants to see him go out like Willy Mays

  6. Perfect the Rams can send Denver over some picks after Manning wins the SB!

    They can just wait until he retires or Denver cuts him after losing the SB.

  7. Listen here, Jeff “I Just Want To Feel Like A Winner” Fisher: If you want a QB who could only manage eight (8) points versus a Seattle Defense, then have at it lol

  8. Hilarious. Absolutely hilarious. Peyton is one of the all-time greats, but how mind-boggingly foolish would the Rams have to be to flush a bunch of money down the toilet on a hopeless dream of winning a conference they share with the historic Vikings dynasty franchise – who all objective observers agree will easily win at least the next seven Super Bowls anyway?

    By the time the historic Vikings dynasty finally begins to fade – which might not even happen, considering they employ the most brilliant front office in professional sports history – Manning will be well into retirement. If the Rams were smart, they would save money for the time being and just try to wait out the incoming Vikings wave of historic dominance.

  9. I am really hoping that Peyton can find a way to win on Sunday and ride off into the sunset on top, Elway style.
    But the thought of division foes being led by:
    -Grandpa Peyton
    -Grandpa Carson
    -Kap/Gabbert
    is enough to make me change my tune.

  10. Peyton Manning has always pursued the money. While all indications are that he will retire after the game, don’t bet on it. The prospect of another $15M+ and more records to break, will always get Peyton’s attraction. He never, ever says no to the money.

  11. At this point, Manning is just a part time reliever. If he tried to go a full season, his arm would literally fall off.

  12. If he wins the Super Bowl, I don’t see he wouldn’t just ride off into the sunset. It has to be the dream of every QB to go out that way. Especially at his age. No better ending.

    If he losses the Super Bowl… all bets are off. The experiment in Denver almost certainly has to be over. Peyton may decide to go give it another season or two elsewhere. That’s his decision to make and I couldn’t care less what he does, honestly.

    The fan in us just wants to see a “hero” go out on his own terms. But if someone’s going to give you $20MM to go play QB pretty badly in a nice climate… why not?

  13. When will people learn? Peyton will not play in the NFC as long as Eli is in the NFC. The reason is because they do not want to PREVENT either person from getting to the Super Bowl, playing each other in the Super Bowl is the Manning plan.

    That’s why Peyton stayed in the AFC and went to the Broncos instead of any other team from the NFC that were “entertaining” his skills that were just as high in odds of getting to the playoffs.

    And why Eli bitched like a little girl to get out of the Chargers when he was drafted.

  14. Bring in Tebow. He’s better than Keenan or Foles at winning games. Won a playoff game with the 24th ranked D and was immediately kicked out of ever starting again. That last Rams playoff win was…?

  15. So you bring in manning, win a few extra games, probably miss the playoffs, and you are stuck in the same position, without a qb, next year? Seems pretty stupid.

  16. The Rams still “got a steal” in that RG3 deal though, right?

    Redskins two division titles since then..
    Rams switching cities and window shopping at a morgue for QBs.. Time to change the narrative on that RG3 deal.

  17. The guy went from the weakest division to the second weakest division in the AFC. You think he wants to play twice against Seattle and Arizona?

  18. arwiv says:
    Feb 3, 2016 10:54 AM
    Why dont they see how Joe Montana feels about coming back? If the Rams are actually serious about winning then Peyton Manning should not be a consideration. The Broncos were able to squeeze the last couple of good years he had left….they guy is done.
    —————-
    You, and everybody elses argument, would have more traction if Peyton wasn’t in the Superbowl this season.

    Is he old? Sure. Is he a shadow of his former self? Sure. But, stay with me here, he is still in the Superbowl! Broncos fans aren’t complaining about how “bad” he is.

  19. *IF* Payton plays another year, it will be in Denver.

    No way would he go to a team that is not even close to being a SB contender, let alone an organization known for trying to hurt other players.

    Payton is too smart for that!!

  20. I go way back with this picture. I’ve seen it before. And it’s never been pretty. Johnny Unitas, Joe Namath, Joe Montana, Jim McMahon. All of them, beat up, physically crushed, shadows of their great selves. Looking to be “Lord of the Ring”, just one more time. Never happens! probably never will. Peyton actually got the closest in Denver. But after Sunday, it’s over man. Let Smeagle grab that ring. And ride off into the sunset.

  21. 19 MILLION dollars!!! Does anyone seriously think he’s going to turn away that amount of money!? I don’t care how much money he already has its’s still 19 MILLION!!!!!!!

  22. Are you kidding me, Manning is such an ego maniac if he thought there was any possibility of his forehead staying in the limelight and being the center of attention he’d jump at the chance. Manning has always been a me first player all he’s concerned with is how much more money he can stuff inside his mattress and how many more meaningless records he can break.

  23. If the Rams front office truly believes a 40-year-old injured QB will be a ticket draw (let alone improve the team), then they have more problems than they realize.

    Even if he loses Sunday, Peyton’s final game would be a Super Bowl if he opts to retire. Not many guys at his age could say that… their final games are usually Week 17, missing the playoffs.

  24. If he wins this super bowl, there is no way he will make the decision to play for the Rams, which will be an absolute disaster considering who they have and the fact that Peyton can no longer carry a team. He doesn’t need the money, he has been beaten to a pulp, and he would also then have to deal with the speculation regarding his use of HGH and depending on what the league finds, a possible suspension. If he retires, all of that HGH stuff just goes away because there is no sense in going “Inquisition” on a guy they have no way to punish. They can’t get money out of him, they cant suspend him, they can’t strip him of the super bowl, there is nothing the league can do once he retires. It makes absolutely no sense whatsoever and to float a story like this is just trying to ride Peytons coattails on his last super bowl run.

  25. Yeah, so Peyton Manning (aka “his own coach”) can absolve Jeff Fisher from having anything to do with quarterbacks.

    Then again, based on his Buddy Ryan worshiping, he’s not that good at coaching quarterbacks anyways.

  26. Hire him Rams.

    But as your Offensive Coordinator, not as your Quarterback.

    Peyton’s got a better football mind than half the OC’s in the league right now, and that’s being conservative.

  27. leatherface2012 says:
    Feb 3, 2016 10:52 AM
    oh good lord
    —————————————
    I couldn’t have said it better myself.

  28. Re: bigbamboom1’s look back at similar cases . . .

    It was a crying shame to see Johnny U. in a uniform other than one belonging to the Baltimore Colts. He retired after one year in San Diego.

    Joe Willie looked equally out-of-place in a Rams’ uniform for one last season.

    Joe Montana did well in KC (playoffs both years), but Marty Schottenheimer was no fun to play for there and Joe decided he had had enough.

    Jim McMahon got one more SB ring after the ’85 Bears (1982-1988). He went on a eight-year tour of the rest of the NFL with the Chargers, Eagles, Vikings, Cardinals and Packers–in that order, finishing as Brett Favre’s backup in SB XXXI over the Patriots. Sadly, Jim may not remember any of that now.

  29. This is the sort of situation that happens when you put making money ahead of making a good football team.

    It was more important to move out there, now the Rams Owner realizes he should probably have a good team, or at least someone to draw, but if he had a good team to begin with, the St Louis fans would probably be willing to have shown more support (Greatest Show on Turf).

    Right now the last thing the Rams need is a quick fix at QB, those situations wind up setting franchises back around 5 years, look at the Jets and Vikings going with Favre. or the Cardinals with Kurt, If you are a team close to the title I feel its much more justified, everyone knows they would be back to square one in a season or 2 at the most, but the Rams aren’t doing this to compete, they are doing it to get bootys in the seats.

  30. I hope this doesn’t happen. The Rams need to concentrate on resigning some key free agents like Janoris Jenkins and Trumaine Johnson. At this point Manning is nothing more than a heavily paid game manager who wouldn’t bring much more to the table than what the Rams have now. In my opinion they either start developing Sean Mannion who they drafted in the 3rd rd or trade up for a qb who they think can be their guy in 1-2 years (Goff?)

  31. Manning wouldnt play for a scumbag like Fisher. Not to mention, why would Peyton wanna be 8-8 or 7-9 his final season?

    To recap RGIII trade that Fisher rubbed in Redskins faces:

    Redskins – 2 Division titles in the 4 seasons

    Rams – ZERO playoff appearances and team is moving

  32. conormacleod says:
    Feb 3, 2016 11:53 AM

    arwiv says:
    Feb 3, 2016 10:54 AM
    Why dont they see how Joe Montana feels about coming back? If the Rams are actually serious about winning then Peyton Manning should not be a consideration. The Broncos were able to squeeze the last couple of good years he had left….they guy is done.
    —————-
    You, and everybody elses argument, would have more traction if Peyton wasn’t in the Superbowl this season.

    Is he old? Sure. Is he a shadow of his former self? Sure. But, stay with me here, he is still in the Superbowl! Broncos fans aren’t complaining about how “bad” he is.
    ———————————————
    Trent Dilfer won a Super Bowl. It’s not like the Broncos made it to the Super Bowl because of Peyton’s arm.

  33. This is crazy. manning would be in demand for his name only. There are little old ladies that can throw a football better than manning. But as greedy as he is, I know he wouldn’t turn down any offer.

  34. contender21open says:
    Feb 3, 2016 1:28 PM

    Tampering?
    _____________

    There has to be a real player involved for there to be tampering.

  35. goattoday says:
    Feb 3, 2016 11:55 AM

    Manning is the 4th wealthiest NFL player of all time. Do we really believe money is the motivator?

    ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

    Um, yes. Rich people can never have enough.

  36. conormacleod says:
    Feb 3, 2016 11:53 AM
    You, and everybody elses argument, would have more traction if Peyton wasn’t in the Superbowl this season.

    Is he old? Sure. Is he a shadow of his former self? Sure. But, stay with me here, he is still in the Superbowl! Broncos fans aren’t complaining about how “bad” he is.
    _____________
    They aren’t really talking about how great he is either…. they are talking about how the defense has risen to the occasion to help them get to the SB. I think the Broncos could be in the SB if Oswieler was at QB as helm.. he beat NE earlier this season… the thing is the Broncos only need to get ONE game out of him, the Rams would need to get 16.. Manning has 9 TDS and a passers-by rating below 70 that isnt worth signing… just because Trent Diller won a SB with the Ravens doesn’t mean teams should be lining up to sign him. You argument woukd hav3 more traction, I my opinion if you were looking at the big picture instead of just Sundays game.

  37. “FecalFreak69 says:
    Feb 3, 2016 1:23 PM

    Manning wouldnt play for a scumbag like Fisher. Not to mention, why would Peyton wanna be 8-8 or 7-9 his final season?

    To recap RGIII trade that Fisher rubbed in Redskins faces:

    Redskins – 2 Division titles in the 4 seasons

    Rams – ZERO playoff appearances and team is moving”

    Yeah, winning the NFC East twice over the last 5 years is definitely something to be proud of. Of course then they got knocked out in the first round, by a team that had to earn a spot. How many teams from the East have been in the Superbowl this decade? The Giants? How many from the NFC West? All the teams the Rams have to play? Who has the harder path, I wonder.

  38. Dumb idea. Their current o-line would get him killed.
    ———–
    There are plenty of reasons this move won’t happen, but the Rams were missing 4 of their 5 starters on the OL and still allowed the fewest sacks in the NFL.

    So no. This isn’t the reason it won’t happen.

  39. Still love that priceless look on his face when the snap sailed over his head in Super Bowl XLVIII…

  40. conormacleod says:
    Feb 3, 2016 11:53 AM

    You, and everybody elses argument, would have more traction if Peyton wasn’t in the Superbowl this season.

    Is he old? Sure. Is he a shadow of his former self? Sure. But, stay with me here, he is still in the Superbowl! Broncos fans aren’t complaining about how “bad” he is.
    —————————–

    Don’t get all delusional. Manning is only in the Super Bowl because of the Denver defense, and Brock Osweiler.

  41. That would be awesome. I for one would love to see the great Peyton Manning keep playing, and while all these internet know-it-all nerds say he should’ve retired 3 years ago, he HAS made it to 2 of the last 3 Super Bowls, so eat that.

  42. babyfarkmcgeezax says:
    Feb 3, 2016 11:19 AM

    Vikings dynasty franchise – who all objective observers agree will easily win at least the next seven Super Bowls anyway?

    _________________________________________

    Only the seven?!? You’re a pessimist obviously.

    GoDenBroncos

  43. vicnocal says:
    Feb 3, 2016 2:51 PM

    That would be awesome. I for one would love to see the great Peyton Manning keep playing, and while all these internet know-it-all nerds say he should’ve retired 3 years ago, he HAS made it to 2 of the last 3 Super Bowls, so eat that.
    —————————

    He was completely embarrassed 2 years ago, and he is one the worst quarterbacks in the league this season.

    Why would any Manning fan want to see him keep on playing in his condition? Let the guy retire with whatever dignity he has left.

  44. mmack66 says:
    Feb 3, 2016 2:14 PM

    Don’t get all delusional. Manning is only in the Super Bowl because of the Denver defense, and Brock Osweiler.
    _ _ _ _ _ _ _
    Don’t recall Brock playing against the Steelers or Pats!

  45. Nice warm weather all year, great defense, great RB to hand the ball off to, I don’t see why it couldn’t work. He doesn’t have to carry the team, simply do what has been doing the last few games with Denver and the Rams make the playoffs. Once in the playoffs anything can happen.

  46. This screams of Fisher trying to keep his job. But this move will only end as a disaster. If you haven’t seen this offensive play, Manning will end up in ICU.

  47. mototax says:
    Feb 3, 2016 3:22 PM
    mmack66 says:
    Feb 3, 2016 2:14 PM

    Don’t get all delusional. Manning is only in the Super Bowl because of the Denver defense, and Brock Osweiler.
    _ _ _ _ _ _ _
    Don’t recall Brock playing against the Steelers or Pats!
    ______________________________

    I do, Brock’s contributions helped Denver beat the Pats in the regular season which is the reason Denver got to host NE in the AFC title game.

  48. I would like the Rams to improve at WR. Travis Benjamin is a free agent. He would be somebody to go after if the Browns don’t resign him. If the QB doesn’t have legit weapons to go to, it isn’t going to work. Jared Cook at TE doesn’t scare anybody, either.

  49. shaggytoodle says:
    Feb 3, 2016 5:21 PM

    mototax says:
    Feb 3, 2016 3:22 PM
    mmack66 says:
    Feb 3, 2016 2:14 PM

    Don’t get all delusional. Manning is only in the Super Bowl because of the Denver defense, and Brock Osweiler.
    _ _ _ _ _ _ _
    Don’t recall Brock playing against the Steelers or Pats!
    ______________________________

    I do, Brock’s contributions helped Denver beat the Pats in the regular season which is the reason Denver got to host NE in the AFC title game.
    ===============
    Sorry, I was referring to the playoffs. Yes, Brock helped them win home filed advantage. Good call.

  50. .mototax says:
    Feb 3, 2016 7:22 PM

    Sorry, I was referring to the playoffs. Yes, Brock helped them win home filed advantage. Good call.
    ______________

    I am just trying to drop some knowledge on people, and he also played against the Steelers as well, the team scored more vs. each opponent with Brock at the helm than with Manning.

    Maybe the team is “Rallying” around Peyton but as far as production goes, Brock has one more TD and a 1/3 of the INTs

  51. Some flunky in the Rams organization probably made a comment and this guy is trying to make it seem like they are actually considering it.

  52. Montana almost made it to the big rodeo in the AFC Championship game against the Bills, but unfortunately got injured. He was one guy who definitely made the right choice to continue playing and played exactly as long as he should have.

    bigbamboom1 says:
    Feb 3, 2016 11:59 AM

    I go way back with this picture. I’ve seen it before. And it’s never been pretty. Johnny Unitas, Joe Namath, Joe Montana, Jim McMahon. All of them, beat up, physically crushed, shadows of their great selves. Looking to be “Lord of the Ring”, just one more time. Never happens! probably never will. Peyton actually got the closest in Denver. But after Sunday, it’s over man. Let Smeagle grab that ring. And ride off into the sunset.

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