It's a good thing the San Francisco 49ers didn't sign Peyton Manning to be their starting quarterback. No, not because it has opened the door for Tim Tebow in San Francisco -- that's just an awful thing to say. It's a good thing because, as expected, the Denver Broncos are actually trying to drown him in money. They're giving him the key to Denver ... they're making him a giant neckbrace out of diamonds.
Adam Schefter reports that Manning is set to make $96 million over the next five years. That is an obscene amount of money, and not too different from the number he was going to be making with the Indianapolis Colts. That's money the 49ers didn't even come close to offering when it all came down to it, which is pretty obvious. The initial numbers were that all teams involved were offering five years at around $60 million. It's a safe bet that the 49ers were in at that number.
But when the Broncos stepped it up, they simply told Manning that they had the best team and the best opportunity for him to win a Super Bowl. His forehead cream was already bought for life, and he didn't need that kind of money. But Manning did follow the money and that's GREAT for him. Everybody is happy for him. That doesn't change the fact that this is way too much money, for a number of reasons.
Nobody knows Manning better than the Colts organization. They've been with him his entire career, and they were with him every step of the way throughout his various neck injuries. At 36 years old, a team is committing to keep Manning for another five years. That's crazy -- especially given that he was released. Everybody talks about the perfect storm in Indy, the fact that they can get Andrew Luck and start anew.
But do you think -- even for one second -- that if Manning were healthy and good to go for five years that the Colts would rather reboot and start fresh? Hell no they wouldn't. They'd keep paying Manning and ride as many of those five years as possible, right into the ground. And that's why this is stupid money. It's stupid money because Manning probably doesn't have more than a season left in him, and he may not even have one at all.