The internet and sports media in Denver and Houston were buzzing Tuesday with Mile High Sports Radio’s Benjamin Allbright tweeted that the Broncos and Texans discussed a trade that would send Peyton Manning to Houston during this past offseason.
https://twitter.com/AllbrightNFL/status/613493490522046464
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A firestorm from Denver media and even the team itself quickly followed, all vehemently denying Allbright’s claim.
https://twitter.com/AllbrightNFL/status/613500415338885120
https://twitter.com/MikeKlis/status/613517676103790592
Allbright’s report was the second such report to surface in the past 30 days.
https://twitter.com/AllbrightNFL/status/613506111098875904
Matt “Money” Smith reported the same basic information on May 28 on the “Move the Sticks” podcast on nfl.com. Neither Allbright or Smith have revealed their sources, so it would be speculation to say whether or not they are one and the same.
In the podcast, Smith says, “I heard a little something, about three, four weeks ago, that the Broncos and the Texans were driving down a road and they were in the same car for a minute regarding Peyton Manning. I said, ‘For what?,’ and they said, ‘For $25 million bucks, that’s for what.'”
Manning was slated to make $19 million in 2015 before his deal was restructured and he took a $4 million pay cut, so it’s not outside the realm of possibility to think that in advance of Manning’s February contract renegotiation Denver could have offered Houston a trade deal that included giving Manning a raise as part of the deal, so it did’t outwardly appear that Denver was trying to “unload” the five-time MVP. Such a deal would have helped both the Broncos and Manning save face, allowing Denver to move on to “Plan B” with Manning having received an “offer he couldn’t refuse.”
As the story has continued to unfold into Wednesday, more and more reports are coming out that the trade discussions may have, in fact, occurred – if only in very exploratory form.
As reported by CBS Houston, SportsRadio 610 learned that “very preliminary” talks occurred prior to the Broncos restructuring Manning’s deal.
Still, Mike Klis of 9News reports that no deal was ever discussed, citing the information above and an email from Manning’s agent, Tom Condon.
An interesting subplot in this storyline is the no-trade clause that was added to Manning’s restructured deal. The clause only applies to the 2015 season, meaning Manning could be shipped in 2016 – assuming he intends to come back.
The trade story has continued to pick up steam, gaining national attention on Pro Football Talk and on ESPN Radio’s The Herd with Collin Cowherd, who called Allbright a “Meathead” and said that ESPN is calling this a “Do Not Report” story. Dan Patrick discussed the possibility of the trade during hour one of Wednesday’s show (starting at minute 13).
Allbright appeared on SportsTalk 790 on Wednesday to further discuss his information and the reaction he’s received.
Who will prove to be right in the end? Ask either side and you’ll likely get the same answer.