Peyton Manning has the perfect opportunity to call it a career and ride off into the sunset if the Denver Broncos can pull off a win in Super Bowl 50, but at least one of his former coaches would be surprised to see Manning hang it up.
Miami Dolphins offensive coordinator Clyde Christensen, who spent 10 seasons with Manning in Indianapolis, believes the talk of No. 18 retiring is premature.
“Knowing him pretty darn well, I wouldn’t count on that,” Christensen told James Walker of ESPN.com. “I don’t know many people who enjoy their job as much as him. There have probably been several chances and who knows? But I sure wouldn’t count on that. The guy has kind of amazed that way so I’m not buying it quite yet. I’m not buying it. I know how much he loves doing what he does.”
No one has questioned Manning’s mental makeup or his desire to win. The problem is that his skills are clearly declining and he simply can’t make the throws he used to. Perhaps Manning could lead a team like the Broncos, who have a phenomenal defense, on another postseason run next year, but Father Time has clearly caught up to him.
As we said before, the outcome of the game will have a lot to say about Manning’s future. If the Broncos win and he gets his second Super Bowl ring, Peyton really has nothing left to play for. Should the Carolina Panthers beat them, he might get the itch to play one more season.
The exchange we saw between Manning and Bill Belichick (video here) said a lot. In all likelihood, Peyton is hoping to lead the Broncos to victory and call it a career.
