While we still don't know how well Peyton Manning [11] will look under center come this fall, at least we now know what uniform he will be wearing.
ESPN is reporting that Manning intends to sign with Denver and has instructed his agent to engage in contract negotiations with the Broncos, ending a nearly two-week long saga following his March 7 release by Indianapolis. While as many as 12 teams reached out to Manning’s representatives to gauge the quarterback’s interest in signing with them once he became a free agent, in the end Manning chose the Broncos over Tennessee and San Francisco.
Although Manning’s decision wasn’t announced via a live television special ala LeBron James’, the process leading up to it has been the focus of much attention these past two weeks. Manning’s movements along with those teams interested in signing him have been followed closely, everything from his visits to these teams’ facilities or trips to Durham, N.C., to watch him throw, along with every flight plan filed by any of the parties involved in between.
Fortunately, now that Manning has picked Denver, the Manning Watch can officially come to an end and the 49ers and Titans can move on to their other offseason business. For the Broncos, however, it’s anything but business as usual.
For starters, there will be the obligatory introductory press conference, where Manning, Broncos owner Pat Bowlen, Executive Vice President of Operations John Elway, and head coach John Fox will talk about the process, his decision, his impact on the team this coming year and moving forward.
No doubt everyone will be all smiles during this press conference and for all the cameras present when Manning holds up his new jersey. Fortunately, the last and only Bronco to wear No. 18, Frank Tripucka, the franchise’s first quarterback, has already given his blessing to the team to un-retire the number for Manning.
But while Manning’s jersey number should not be a problem, the same can’t be said for the instant quarterback controversy that has been created as a result of his decision to join the Broncos. What happens to Tim Tebow?
It was just two months ago that Elway, who has never been hesitant to share his opinions regarding Tebow’s performance and progression as the Broncos’ quarterback, said Tebow was the team’s starting quarterback entering the 2012 season. With Manning coming to town, it appears all but certain that Tebow will once again be second on the depth chart come this fall.
That was the situation this past season, when Tebow replaced Kyle Orton as the Broncos’ starting quarterback after a 1-4 start. Tebow would go on to lead his team to the AFC West title and a win over the Steelers in the first round of the playoffs. Even though Tebow performed poorly in the Broncos’ season-ending 45-10 loss to the Patriots in the divisional round, all indications were that Tebow had earned the opportunity to be the man in Denver this coming season.
At least that’s what Elway said in January. That was before the Hall of Fame quarterback added Manning, who like Elway will be enshrined in Canton as soon as he becomes eligible for induction, to his roster.
It’s safe to assume that Manning is not coming to Denver to compete with Tebow for the starting job, so for the second straight year, Tebow knows he will enter training camp as the backup. That is if he’s still with the Broncos once training camp rolls around.
The Broncos could end up trading Tebow to another team, looking to capitalize on his value. Questions may persist about Tebow’s ability to develop into a consistent, productive thrower in the NFL, but no one can question his will, determination and drive, nor the fact that he went 8-5 in his first chance at being a starting quarterback in the NFL.
Tebow is already one of the NFL’s most popular, if not polarizing, players in the league, so there’s the added incentive of what he could mean to a team, ranging from ticket sales to fan interest.
With Manning now off the market and Matt Flynn signing with the Seattle Seahawks over the weekend, one could argue that the two most attractive quarterback options that are in need of one are Alex Smith, who is a free agent, and Tebow, who the Broncos could decide to trade.
Whether the Broncos’ brain trust of Bowlen, Elway and Fox decide to trade Tebow or not remains to be seen, but you can bet it’s one of the questions that will be raised during Manning’s introductory press conference. And just like that the Broncos go from celebrating one decision, to having to deal with a new one.
— by Mark Ross, published on March 19, 2012
