Colts: Manning Likely to be the Richest Man in NFL History
The Indianapolis Colts may have the smartest and one of the best quarterbacks in NFL history. That’s obvious. Now the time is looming to decide what is that commodity worth to them?
Peyton Manning is entering the final year on his contract and there is no doubt that he deserves to be the highest paid player in the league. Perhaps no other player works harder, or is worth more to their team than Manning is for the Colts. Just look at the Colts with and without Manning. Whenever he’s rested they lose, whenever he plays, they’ll win, and win often.
Manning is a four time MVP and with good reason. He only seems to get better every year, and perhaps the most valuable stat of his is that he has never missed a game in his entire NFL career. He has started in 198 consecutive games, or 210 including the playoffs.
One scary thought for the Colts has to be, how would they do without Peyton Manning? Would they keep winning at least 10 games per season as they have for the last decade? A lot of big questions face the team and the Colts may not want to go into unchartered waters.
That is why Colts President Bill Polian has stated that the team is willing to give Manning all the money that a man could ever want. He is willing to make Manning the highest paid player in history to ensure that Manning stays with the team that drafted him first overall in 1998.
The Colts play in an AFC South division featuring improving teams like the Houston Texans and the Tennessee Titans. A Manning-less Colts team may be the exact thing that would open the door for those teams to overtake the Colts in the south. However, Indianapolis’ ownership and management cannot let that possibility unfold.
Manning is the type of man that can have a long football career, not just as a player, but with his wits, he can be a great coach once his playing days are done. If the Colts show how grateful they are for what Manning has done for the organization, they can keep him with the franchise for, pretty much as long as Manning wishes to be around in the game.
Often you hear of players that have all the talent in the world, but no work ethic to keep improving. That is not Peyton Manning. He works hard on and off the field and always looks for ways to continue fooling defenses. He does it every week in his preparation and is a master at calling an audible when necessary. He’s always a step ahead of a defence. When you’re playing Manning, you’re playing both a football game and a chess match.
So far, contract negotiations are going slowly. Why? The reason is the questions surrounding the CBA deal that has to be worked out before March. The NFL could be in danger of a lockout in the 2011 season. The Colts have no intention though of losing Manning and there are certain aspects of the deal that will stay in place no matter what. If anything, the Colts may place the franchise tag on Manning if it comes to that.
There would be the possibility of the four-time MVP hitting the free agent market. There’s no doubt he would be the most sought after free agent, perhaps in NFL history. The Colts understand this and don’t intend to let that happen. The risk of losing Manning is just too great.
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