Before we get into whether it's accurate that the Denver Broncos attempted to trade Peyton Manning to the Houston Texans earlier this year, let me first explain how these types of conversations usually happen.
There are several ways that trade talks involving stars can begin. The most common is one general manager or top front-office executive contacting his counterpart on another team—a call will begin with both men swearing secrecy to each other. One general manager walked me through how a conversation like this will go down.
General manager No. 1: "So, say, hypothetically, I had a Hall of Famer, all-time great, available for a trade.