INDIANAPOLIS -- The Denver Broncos are set to have a busy offseason with several key players on the verge of entering free agency, but perhaps no decision is bigger than the future football plans of quarterback Peyton Manning. Officially, Manning is weighing the decision whether or not play in 2015. Unofficially, at least if you listen to head coach Gary Kubiak tell it, it sounds likely that the future Hall of Famer will return.
Gary Kubiak is ‘hopeful’ Peyton Manning will return for 2015
The Broncos head coach sounded a positive note about the team’s veteran signal caller being in the fold for the coming season.
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“I feel good about where we are right now,” Kubiak said about the team’s prospects of having Manning back for the coming season.
At the moment, Manning and team president/general manager John Elway are working through a “process” as Kubiak described it.
“He’s been very positive,” the coach said. “I’ll let he and John work that out.”
Kubiak has also spoken with Manning since taking the Broncos job, though he revealed that the two did not talk about football or his future with the team, including what the offense would look like going forward.
The Broncos’ new head coach is known for an offensive system that emphasizes a run-heavy approach behind a zone blocking offensive line, with a healthy dose of bootlegs and play action passes down the field. It’s a different type of offense than what Manning’s run throughout his career. But Kubiak wasn’t worried about that.
“I think he can do anything he wants to,” Kubiak said. “You do what your players do best.
“We’re going to run the Denver Broncos offense, and that’s a big challenge to me right now, meshing things together and getting ready to go do the things that Peyton does so well and has for many, many years.”
Although Manning has not made an official public statement on whether he will retire from the NFL or return to Denver next season, he has already met with team officials and has expressed a desire to suit up again for the Broncos in 2015.
Manning has begun his offseason workouts and training regime, reportedly "with the intent to play," and indicated a few weeks ago that he is looking forward to working with Gary Kubiak. The new Broncos head coach also is apparently willing to alter his offensive scheme in order to fit the future Hall of Famer's strengths.
The key part of Manning’s decision hinges on his health and various medical examinations to determine whether he can make it through the rigors of another NFL season. Manning’s 2015 base salary of $19 million becomes fully guaranteed on March 9, so the team needs an answer from him before that date.
Manning, who will turn 39 next month, struggled down the stretch as he played through a torn right quad suffered in Week 15 against the San Diego Chargers. He averaged just 257 passing yards and threw four touchdowns with four interceptions over his final four games, including a disappointing loss to the Indianapolis Colts in the Divisional round of the playoffs. In his first 13 games, Manning threw for 3,910 yards with 36 touchdowns and 11 interceptions.
Manning is already the NFL’s all-time leader in touchdown passes and has a chance to further etch his name in the record books if he returns for his 18th season. He needs 2,148 yards to surpass Brett Favre’s record for most career passing yards (71,838), and is also seven regular-season wins shy of matching Favre’s mark (186) in that category.
If Manning decides to hang up his cleats, the Broncos could turn to backup Brock Osweiler as the team's signal caller for 2015. A second-round pick out of Arizona State in 2012, Osweiler has appeared in 13 games for Denver, completing 17-of-30 passes for 159 yards with one touchdown. The team could also realize a significant amount of cap savings with Manning's salary off the books. He carries a cap charge of $21.5 million in each of the next two seasons, and the team could gain $16.5 million in cap space for 2015 if he retires or is released.
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