It’s been a wonderful 18 NFL seasons. The record books are full of his accomplishments, he won two Super Bowls — first starting quarterback to do so with two teams — and he can leave the arena on top of the football world. Yet, just a couple short weeks away from the March 9th deadline, Manning seems to be contemplating a return to the field with the Denver Broncos (or otherwise) a la Brett Favre, Joe Montana or Johnny Unitas.
If Manning returns, his career will more than likely end the way those greats did, in disappointment. He will be a mere shell of his former shelf, continuing to leave himself open to criticism on and off the field until he finally decides to hang them up. For Manning’s legacy and more importantly, his well-being, with nothing left to prove he should go out on top; he needs to retire now.
There is no dismantling Manning’s resume to this point. He leads the history books in nearly every vital quarterback category. The Broncos’ 24-10 Super Bowl 50 victory over the Carolina Panthers tallied Manning’s 200th combined career win, topping Favre for best all-time. He is the only five-time league MVP and is tied for the most Pro Bowl nods with 14. He also owns the most playoff appearances by a quarterback (15), most passing touchdowns (539) and most career passing yards (71,940).
The only knock on Manning seemed to be his playoff record, he took care of that last thorn in his side in Santa Clara, California Feb. 7. Entering the 2015-16 postseason he had a losing record in his previous 14 playoff appearances. He needed to win out against the likes of Ben Roethlisberger, Tom Brady and Cam Newton in order to clear that blemish from his resume. Thanks to a stifling Broncos defense and just enough help on offense, he accomplished that. With his second Super Bowl victory in four appearances he now stands at 14-13. There is simply no realistic way to ascend any higher than walking out of Levi’s Stadium with the Vince Lombardi Trophy.
Manning and the Broncos remarkable road to Super Bowl 50 is nothing short of a storybook ending, but the wonderful end result masks the biggest issue with a possible 19th season for the signal-caller. Manning had a career-worst season. His nine regular season passing touchdowns, 10 regular season games played and 67.9 passer rating in those contests are all career lows for the first-ballot Hall-of-Famer. In fact, before this season, he never missed a game outside of the 2011 season which he missed due to his serious neck injury. His body seems to be telling his mind what he does not want to admit. He can’t play at his high standards.
Look no further than possibly his last game. His Super Bowl 50 performance displayed the now obvious. There is no indication that he ever will return to a serviceable quarterback in another NFL season. He threw for just 141 passing yards, completing just 13-of-23 attempts, with one pass resulting in an interception and no touchdowns. He ended the game with a 56.6 passer rating and yet he did what no other quarterback in history had done. He came to his second team and after the ups and downs of four seasons, he came away with a second championship.
Manning’s last season was also plagued with off-field stories and issues that continue to try and tear down his legacy from a personal side. He has been accused of HGH use by a news network and a long-past incident and legal battle involving a former University of Tennessee trainer as resurfaced. Although both appear to lack creditability, they have tarnished a previously shining reputation Manning had. Retiring will surely not force the sources of these accusations to disappear but they will allow him to deal with them in a far less public manner.
Lastly, the Broncos organization is ready to move on as well and forcing the team to part ways with the Manning will only add to the awkward truth, he has declined to a mediocre option at QB. According to Spottrac.com, Manning is due a base salary of $19 million and a cap hit of $21.5 million this season. There is no doubt the Bronco will be offering far less than that if they do decide to ask him back. Publicly, the Broncos have said they will give him time to make his decision but they have most likely already made theirs and the clock is ticking.
Simply put, all signs point to the always professional and gentlemanly Manning walking away now with his legacy and trophy in hand.
Far too many athletes across the sports spectrum fail to end their career’s gracefully. Professional football is no different but — being that it is undoubtedly the most popular sport in America — it’s more public. Manning has achieved everything he could possibly want on the football field, the records, the respect and the titles, all done so with the unique luck to win late in his career, despite an already drastic decline in his play. I, for one, would rather remember Manning more like John Elway, retiring a champion, rather than like Favre, prolonging a career in search of something unattainable; another career high when none is necessary.
