Peyton Manning gave a heartfelt speech to his Denver Broncos teammates Saturday night, and it sounds like he hinted that the Super Bowl will be his final game.
ESPN’s Sal Paolantonio reports that Manning became “very emotional” while speaking with players and coaches on the eve of the big game.
“Peyton told a few jokes to lighten the mood, but then he got very emotional,” Paolantonio says Broncos team president Joe Ellis told him, via Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk. “And so did DeMarcus [Ware]. The room was silent. It was a very emotional gathering.”
While Manning did not come out and state that he is planning to retire, a source told Paolantonio that the 39-year-old didn’t need to say it for his teammates to understand the message.
The strongest sign we saw that Manning is planning to call it a career came after the AFC Championship Game when he had this exchange with Bill Belichick. Since then, Eli Manning has also acknowledged that the Super Bowl could be his brother’s last game.
For what it’s worth, at least one team would reportedly have interest in Manning if he decides to play in 2016. Common sense would tell you that the only way Manning’s comes back for another season is if the Broncos lose to the Carolina Panthers. Should everything go his way on Sunday, Manning will not have much left to play for.
