Peyton Manning set to retire
Denver Broncos quarterback Peyton Manning is set to announce his retirement from the NFL on Monday after 18 prosperous years in the league.
Manning won his second Super Bowl last month as the Broncos defeated the heavily-favoured Carolina Panthers. He played his college football for the Tennessee Volunteers and led them to the 1997 SEC Championship in his senior year. His heroics for the Volunteers led to him being drafted first overall in the 1998 draft by the Indianapolis Colts ahead of fellow quarterback Ryan Leaf, who had a rather forgettable career in the NFL.
The New-Orleans native played for the Colts for 14 seasons and established himself as one of the greatest passers of the game as he was setting records on a regular basis. He won his first Super Bowl in 2007 and was duly named as the MVP. Manning did not compete in the 2011 season due to injury and the Colts suffered badly without his services. They inevitably gained the first overall pick and drafted the highly rated quarterback Andrew Luck. With a $28 million roster bonus pending for Manning, the Colts decided to part ways with him in an emotional interview.
Manning joined the Broncos and continued where he left off as he became the NFL all time leader in passing touchdowns in 2014. His contemporary Tom Brady said of Manning’s impending retirement; “Congratulations Peyton, on an incredible career. You changed the game forever and made everyone around you better. It’s been an honour.”
His legacy speaks for itself: 2x Super Bowl champion, 5x NFL MVP (a record), 14x all-star games, 4x AFC champion and the only quarterback to achieve 200 career wins (including regular and post season) and many more accolades in his illustrious career. Manning, who will turn 40 this month can look back on his career as one of the greatest quarterbacks (arguably THE greatest) to have played the game.
