Peyton Manning Shouldn’t Contemplate a Comeback

Thank you for everything, Peyton Manning. Now please enjoy life away from the football field. 

Don’t call it a comeback, Peyton Manning.

Seriously. Don’t.

Manning had not yet finished finishing the remarks that would officially end his National Football League playing career on March 7 before cynics posting on social media websites such as Twitter were already joking that we had not yet seen Manning throw his last pass as a starting quarterback.

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It is easy to understand why one would have such an opinion. A retirement ceremony being followed by that same athlete eventually announcing that he is making a comeback have become as commonplace as is NFL football being on our televisions during the fall months. Michael Jordan, the greatest player in the history of the National Basketball Association, came back. Mario Lemieux returned to the ice. Jokes are made every summer that Brett Favre could be one phone call away from going back under center.

Thus, it wasn’t at all silly or crazy to see that Gary Myers of the New York Daily News had, just days after Peyton Manning delivered his emotional retirement speech, written a piece about Manning returning to the Denver Broncos for the 2016 NFL season. Myers was not just spit-balling or looking to generate the clicks with his take. The well-respected journalist literally wrote the book about Peyton Manning and Tom Brady.

Some tidbits from Myers and his thoughts on why Manning would play at least one more season:

"If Manning and the Broncos knew for sure on Monday that Brock Osweiler would be off to Houston within 48 hours, would Manning have retired? Archie Manning and Peyton’s agent Tom Condon, didn’t return messages Thursday looking for comment, but my feeling is that Manning and Broncos GM John Elway would have mutually agreed to squeeze one more year out of Manning’s career and make a run at defending their Super Bowl title."

More from Myers:

"I would rather have a physically limited Manning running the Broncos offense and going for a Super Bowl repeat than putting my trust in Colin Kaepernick or Robert Griffin III, who have each seriously regressed after early success. I would also rather have Manning in charge in Denver than Ryan Fitzpatrick."

All who disagree with Myers on this subject should not ignore that he has forgotten more about football and about sports journalism than many of us will ever learn. Perhaps Myers has reasons to believe that Manning would be enticed to return to the Broncos if team czar John Elway called up his former employee and told Manning that he and the Broncos needed the Sheriff for one more rodeo.

Let’s hope not.

Manning hoisting the Vince Lombardi Trophy in celebration before walking off of the field for the last time as a player was as fitting an ending to a legendary NFL career as we will ever see. The all-time great QB who had carried versions of the Indianapolis Colts on his back and who turned good players into All-Pros was guided to Super Bowl glory by a tremendous Denver defense earlier this year. Manning retiring as a champion was a reminder that sports karma can sometimes be a good thing for good people who deserve the fates to smile upon them.

The opportunity to retire as a champion is, of course, not the only reason that Manning should not even contemplate making a comeback at any point in the future. The Peyton Manning who was the greatest regular season QB in NFL history is gone and will never to return. In his place is the still brilliant Manning who no longer has any fastball, who can’t fit passes into tight windows as he could even a few years ago, and who would probably get booed off of the field during a Denver home game later this year.

Those of us who were lucky to follow Manning’s career starting with his days at the University at Tennessee knew right away that Manning was special and not just your average QB. Manning’s vision, his footwork in the pocket and his intelligence were all ahead of traits had by his contemporaries. Even when he struggled during his rookie NFL season, a trained eye could tell that Manning was going to get it sooner than later.

I’d love to see that Manning play one more season. I’d love to see the Peyton from 2006 emerge from the tunnel, pick apart the defense of the New England Patriots and then shake hands with Tom Brady after the game. It will never happen, though, because that Manning no longer exists.

Manning deservedly earned hundreds of millions of dollars for his services to the Colts and the Broncos. No player, to date, has been named NFL Most Valuable Player more times than Manning (5). Manning literally sacrificed his body and even years of his life to those two NFL franchises.

Let’s all remember that Manning is not just a shell of his former self physically. Manning is an individual who has had multiple neck operations and who could be one hit away from losing more than just his playing days. The memory of Manning leaving the game on his own being replaced with the vision of Manning being carried into a locker room would be a heartbreaking conclusion to a story that already has a fairy-tale ending.

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We’ve had to erase Michael Jordan wearing a Washington Wizards jersey from our minds. Brett Favre playing for the Minnesota Vikings is ignored by faithful fans of the Green Bay Packers. Terrell Owens, who unquestionably belongs in the Hall of Fame, still hasn’t had an official retirement ceremony because he is so desperate to cling to a career that has realistically been over for years.

Manning deserves better. Manning deserves to leave the game as a winner and as the man who gave fans one final thrill via a retirement speech that moved us to tears.

Thank you for everything, Peyton. Now please stay away.