Broncos tried to trade Peyton Manning? If so, Elway unsure of 2015
On Tuesday night, Benjamin Allbright tweeted out that the Denver Broncos tried to trade Peyton Manning to the Houston Texans this offseason. Allbright, who works as a sports radio host in Denver, refused to give his sources but stands by the story, one of the most stunning ones to come out since the confetti landed in Super Bowl 49.
Since the story exploded, CBS Sports is confirming Allbright’s report, saying the talks happened before Manning signed a restructured deal that gave him a $4 million pay cut. Oddly enough, it also included a no-trade clause. While the talks have been termed “very preliminary,” it gives us an interesting view of how general manager John Elway views Manning, Brock Osweiler, and the current form of the Broncos.
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Manning is 39 years old and is coming off a season in which he played terribly the final eight games, including Denver’s playoff flop against the Indianapolis Colts. Despite having a regular-season line of 4,727 passing yards and 39 touchdowns, Manning only threw for more than 300 yards twice over the final seven regular-season games and just 211 yards on 46 attempts against the Colts. Throughout that stretch, Manning tossed 11 touchdowns and eight interceptions.
While there has been speculation that Manning was dealing with an injured thigh, the reality runs far deeper. Manning was supposedly hurt against the San Diego Chargers, right before halftime on Dec. 14. Yet, Manning had been playing poorly the four games before then. The injury holds no water.
All of this leads back to the trade talks with Houston. Either Elway does not believe in Manning’s ability to win a Super Bowl in 2015, or he simply wants to turn the page and start Osweiler. Either way, Elway clearly has reservations about the Broncos winning big at this juncture of Manning’s career, or talks never would have taken place.
Elway has put together a curious offseason, starting the day after Denver fell to Indianapolis. The general manager fired head coach John Fox and his staff, despite four consecutive division titles and a 12-4 record in 2014. Fox was replaced with Gary Kubiak, a former teammate and offensive coordinator of Elway who spent nine seasons coaching the Houston Texans. In those years, Kubiak reached the postseason twice.
Elway then allowed for veterans Orlando Franklin, Terrance Knighton, Wes Welker, Nate Irving, Rahim Moore, Julius Thomas and Will Montgomery to leave. Not many players were signed to replace the departed, with only Owen Daniels and Darian Stewart coming in as notables.
Under Kubiak, the offensive system will instantly become more mobile. Kubiak runs Mike Shanahan’s system which became popular during Steve Young’s days with the San Francisco 49ers, when Shanahan won a Super Bowl in 1994 as the offensive coordinator. With that in mind, Manning is a terrible fit because of his extreme lack of mobility. Osweiler on the other hand is 24 years old and with fresh legs.
If Elway legitimately believed the Broncos could win their third Super Bowl in franchise history, he likely would have retained Knighton (who got a one-year deal from the Washington Redskins) and passed on changing the entire coaching staff. Clearly, Elway wants to go in a new direction, and Manning is holding him back while propping the team up.
Osweiler has potential, but the notion Denver would somehow be better with him instead of Manning is ludicrous. Osweiler was a second-round pick out of Arizona State in 2012 and has 30 career pass attempts. Even if he develops into a great player, the chances of him becoming anything close to Manning are slim and none.
Elway has a clear path going forward. Play Manning through 2015 and let Osweiler develop for one more campaign, learning Kubiak’s system. When 2015 comes to an end, regardless of Manning’s play, he will be released, saving Denver $19 million in cap space. Denver will also clear some money by cutting ties with left tackle Ryan Clady ($8.9 million) and DeMarcus Ware ($10 million). In their places will be 2015 draft picks Ty Sambrailo and Shane Ray.
Ultimately, all of this leaves Kubiak, Elway, Manning and Osweiler in a weird limbo. The team is too good to justifiably tear it down, but not good enough to truly aim at a championship.