Denver Broncos quarterback Peyton Manning wants to continue playing football and wants to return to the Broncos, according to ESPN's Adam Schefter.
He'd like to keep playing. In a perfect world, he'd like to keep playing. The question is who's going to give him an opportunity. And it's tough to identify that team right now that's willing to sign him to the deal that makes it worthwhile for him, that allows him to continue playing.
Does he want to go move to another city? Because I think everbody at this point accepts and understands that he's not going to be back in Denver. So the question is where does he go and play. It's not going to be the Houston Texans. It's probably not going to be the Los Angeles Rams. So you go find a team that would be willing to sign him.
Now, there are a couple of other opportunities he'll have: TV has expressed interest in him and my understanding is one network -- and there are many of them -- would like him to be a color analyst for games and could potentially put together a lucrative offer. I don't know that he wants to do that.
This contradicts the Denver Post's Woody Paige's report that Manning was expected to announce his retirement this week. That may still happen, but it certainly seems that Manning wants to continue his playing days.
Manning, who will turn 40 this month was widely expected to retire after the Broncos won the Super Bowl, and speculation only increased after he told New England Patriots head coach Bill Belichick that this might be his "last rodeo."
However, if he does return, it will be for a team other than the Broncos. An earlier report said that Denver plans to "part ways" with Manning this offseason, even if he doesn't retire, opting to move forward with Brock Osweiler as their quarterback. He started seven games for the team this year, passing for 1,967 yards and 10 touchdowns to just six interceptions.
It's unclear what the market for Manning would be like, but the Los Angeles Rams are the one team that has expressed the most interest in him.
Manning had one of the worst seasons in his career in 2015, passing for 2,249 yards, nine touchdowns, and a league-high 17 interceptions in 10 starts.
Follow our Denver Broncos news page for all the latest Broncos news!
Back to the Denver Broncos Newsfeed