Former Denver Broncos quarterback Peyton Manning led ESPN’s all retirement team, a roster put together with the 22 best football players who retired this year.
Manning’s selection was a no-brainer, as he has won the most Associated Press MVP awards (5), set the all-time record for passing yards (71,940) and touchdowns (539), and holds the record for most wins including playoffs (200). Not to mention, he holds 15-plus other NFL records.
The guy he would be handing the ball off to is recently retired Marshawn Lynch. Lynch led the league in TDs during the 2013 and 2014 seasons and probably could have played a couple more years if his style of play didn’t take such a toll on his body.
Manning’s receivers?
The one and only Calvin Johnson, or Megatron, would complement Manning just fine. Imagine him throwing the ball to Johnson? The future Hall of Famer would have had an extra 100 TDs to his name if he had Megatron sprinting to the end zone.
Johnson, who retired to the surprise of the whole league back in March, was on pace to go down as one of the four best recievers to ever play the game. Some will argue that he’s still in the top five, but with such a short career, we will simply never know what could’ve been.
The other receiver considered by ESPN was former Green Bay Packers wideout Greg Jennings. Jennings was a great player and a big threat downfield when he played for the Packers back in 2008-2012, but injuries and age hampered the backend of his career.
In his prime, though, Jennings and Megatron could have made a killer duo as Manning’s two targets — not to mention that both would’ve been better with Manning throwing them the ball.
Other notable offensive players on the team included Pittsburgh Steelers tight end Heath Miller, who ended his career with 592 receptions, good for second all-time in Steelers’ history for a tight end, and former Buffalo Bill Percy Harvin, who also played for the New York Jets, Seattle Seahawks and Minnesota Vikings.
Harvin was another player held back by injuries, but when healthy was one of the most-versatile players in the NFL. He not only was a force at wideout, but he was a good punt/kick returner and was used in the backfield when the time was right.
On the defensive side of the ball, former Viking and Carolina Panther Jared Allen was one of the bigger names on the list. He’s ninth on the all-time sacks list with 136 over the course of his career.
On the other end, former New York Giants and Oakland Raiders pass rusher Justin Tuck finished his career with 66.5 sacks and was the outspoken leader of the two Giants Super Bowl teams, including the one that beat the 18-0 Patriots during the ’07 season.
In the secondary, who could forget the legend Charles Woodson? The longtime Oakland Raider, who eventually left and won a Super Bowl with the Packers in 2010, was one of the best to ever do it.
Woodson is tied with Rod Woodson and Darren Sharper for the most defensive touchdowns of all-time, with 13. He is also second all-time in interceptions returned for a touchdown with 11 and sixth all time in career interceptions with 65.
Woodson won the Heisman trophy is 1997 as a two-way player for the Michigan Wolverines, who won the National Championship that season.
The all-retirement team is just a fantasy and we can only imagine if all of these players teamed up during their careers, but with Manning leading the offense and Woodson leading the defense, let’s just say the team wouldn’t be lacking any leadership. Both players were two of the best leaders in NFL history and two of the best players, at their position, in NFL history.
To check out the rest of the roster click here…