Peyton Manning names which current NFL coach he would want to play for

Former Indianapolis Colts quarterback Peyton Manning claps during a Ring of Honor induction ceremony for Tarik Glenn on Sunday, Oct. 30, 2022, during a game against the Washington Commanders at Indianapolis Colts at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis.

Peyton Manning was arguably the most talented quarterback to ever play in the NFL, and the two-time Super Bowl champion feels his skills would be put to good use in one current head coach’s offense.

Manning was a guest on the latest episode of the “This is Football” podcast with Kevin Clark, which was released on Tuesday. During the interview, Manning was asked which coach he would want to play for if he were still in the NFL. He began gushing about San Francisco 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan.

“I’m probably headed out to San Francisco to play for Kyle Shanahan. I met with Kyle when I was a free agent (in 2012),” Manning explained. “I was talking to Mike Shanahan, who was coaching the Commanders at the time. Kyle was his coordinator. I remember just sitting down with Kyle, we watched film for two hours and I was extremely impressed. It’s been no surprise to me the success he’s had, not only as a coordinator in Atlanta and now as a head coach.

“It starts with their run game, but the stuff they do off their run game is unique, it’s different. I think as a quarterback, I can just tell Brock Purdy is mentally stimulated every single Sunday. As a quarterback that’s what you want. You want to come to work every single day and go, ‘Wow, what’s gonna be in the offense today?'”

I asked Peyton Manning: If he could play for a modern NFL coach, who would it be?
"I'm probably headed out to San Francisco." Peyton watched *two hours* of film with Kyle Shanahan in 2012 during his free agency. This breakdown is so good. THIS IS FOOTBALL is elite today. pic.twitter.com/U39xc0vWx8

— Kevin Clark (@bykevinclark) January 9, 2024

The success the 49ers have had under Shanahan is not a coincidence. While many criticized the team for trading up to draft Trey Lance, Shanahan and company more than offset that mistake by turning Brock Purdy from “Mr. Irrelevant” into an MVP candidate.

Shanahan’s innovative offense gets the ball into the hands of playmakers in a variety of ways. He and Manning would have likely been a match made in heaven during Peyton’s prime. Manning seems to believe that, which is why he came fairly close to joining the Shanahans at one point.