Will Peyton Manning retire? Probably. It’s the most logical option, for both him and his family. But right now, nobody can say for sure, even Woody Paige.
Since the Super Bowl, Manning has been as silent as silent can be, barely making a public appearance in the last three weeks — somewhat odd for the Super Bowl winning quarterback — and the Broncos have been as supportive as possible, giving him as much time as he could possibly want.
But the Denver Post’s Woody Paige feels that his time is up, or at least expiring, as he reported that Manning has made his decision.
“According to two sources, Manning will acknowledge his decision by the end of this week,” Paige wrote Saturday night, sending the NFL world into a tizzy.
Immediately, the news spread like wildfire, only to be fought off by the Denver Broncos and their V.P. of public relations Patrick Smyth.
Peyton has not made a decision on his future. Plan remains for him to continue talks with the team this week. https://t.co/2YcjDCCQSg
— Patrick Smyth (@psmyth12) February 28, 2016
And after a few days to think about it, either Woody Paige or The Denver Post decided it might be a good idea to go back in and revise their original report. Thanks to Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk, we now know that the Post did go back alter that key “According to two sources” statement.
After the change, it read: “I’m told Manning will acknowledge his decision by the end of this week.”
Not long after, though, the post re-inserted the “two source” part. It now reads: “According to two sources, Manning will acknowledge his decision by the end of this week.”
So what does this all mean? Probably nothing, and in a few days, when Manning most likely announces his retirement, nobody will be worse for the wear.
One way or another, Manning won’t be on the Broncos’ roster when free agency starts. He knows that, and it would be a strong statement for him to force John Elway into cutting the first-ballot Hall of Famer. Whether Paige has all the information or not, it makes sense.