After lifting the Vince Lombardi trophy as part of the Super Bowl winning Denver Broncos team, Peyton Manning has retired from the NFL.
The former Indianapolis Colts player, whose career spanned 18 seasons, will hold a press event at the Broncos headquarter on Monday in which he will issue a statement on his last rodeo.
Speaking in the wake of his team's Super Bowl win, Manning said it was not the right time to talk about whether or not he would be continuing, but on Sunday afternoon the team tweeted out a message thanking Manning for his time at the team and congratulating him on his fantastic career.
Thank you, Peyton, and congratulations on your magnificent 18-year NFL career! https://t.co/YdMt19tQ2i pic.twitter.com/jYDXpMmlUA
— Denver Broncos (@Broncos) March 6, 2016
In a statement on the team's website, John Elway said "When you look at everything Peyton has accomplished as a player and person, it’s easy to see how fortunate we’ve been to have him on our team. Peyton was everything that we thought he was and even more—not only for the football team but in the community. I’m very thankful Peyton chose to play for the Denver Broncos, and I congratulate him on his Hall of Fame career."
Despite the Super Bowl win, Manning's numbers in what looks to be his final season in the game were uninspiring. However, there had been speculation that he would not be able to return from major neck surgery in 2011, and proved those doubts wrong with a record-breaking season in 2013, registering 55 touchdowns as his side became the first to ever top 600 points in the regular season.
Easy to forget how much doubt hovered around Peyton Manning after the 4 neck surgeries. Since then: 1639-2479, 19,062 yds, 151 TDs, 59 INTs.
— Albert Breer (@AlbertBreer) March 6, 2016
On Saturday, Manning informed the Broncos chief executive officer Joe Ellis that he would be retiring just a few weeks shy of his 40th birthday later this month, and the news was confirmed on Sunday by the franchise on Twitter.
With Brock Osweiler set to become a free-agent on Wednesday, the decision will also be one that allows the Broncos to look to the future and possibly tie him down to a long-term deal, as well as make other personnel decisions.
Via NBC
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