Peyton Manning
Despite negotiations that have sputtered over the last year, the Indianapolis Colts have never presented a formal offer to their All-World and future Hall of Fame quarterback Peyton Manning.
That changed this past Thursday.
According to ESPN’s Chris Mortensen and Adam Schefter, Manning’s agent, Tom Condon, met face-to-face with the organization for “hours” on Thursday. The tete-a-tete culminated with Indianapolis offering Manning a contract that would make him the richest player in NFL history.
Although Mort and Schefter didn’t reveal the financial terms of the supposed deal, it’s reportedly more lucrative than the four-year, $72 million pact that Patriots quarterback Tom Brady signed in September.
Team president Bill Polian has no problem with Manning becoming the highest paid player in league history; though he’s said to be exploring the idea of using some of the cash to surround Peyton with more talent. The Colts are known for building through the draft, and not breaking the bank on free-agents, so this comes as sort of a surprise.
If both parties are going to get something done, it has to be on or before March 3 – the last day of the league year. It can’t be done after that point because players aren’t allowed to sign a contract without a new collective bargaining agreement in place. With a possible work stoppage on the horizon, the CBA and labor union will be a major hotbed issue for the next few months.
Assuming they don’t reach an agreement by then, the Colts could opt to place the franchise tag on Manning, projected to be worth at least $23 million in 2011.
Either way, it’s going to take a lot of coin to ensure Manning retires as a Colt. But, as he’s proved time and time again, he is just too invaluable to the team to let walk and there’s absolutely zero chance of that happening. Whether they lock him up long term, or slap the tag on him, he will never don another uniform for as long as he’s in the league.
