Should He Stay or Should He Go?

Will Peyton Manning wear No. 18 again next season? (Google Images)

Chiefs, Chargers and Raiders fans might have cause to celebrate. That's right, even Raiders fans. With recent news that John Fox has been canned as the Broncos head coach and that Jack Del Rio will move from his position as Denver's defensive coordinator to Oakland's head coach, many of the people that made the Denver Broncos team a perennial Super Bowl contender are no longer there.
The Broncos have won the AFC West for the last four seasons and, while Fox and Del Rio have been integral parts to Denver's success, the biggest reason they have won the last two division titles is because they won the Peyton Manning lottery before the 2012 season started. But in  recent years, after neck surgery forced the Indianapolis Colts to release him, the Super Bowl XLI MVP has been playing through a strained quad since his Dec. 14 start against the San Diego Chargers. This could very well be the reason Manning struggled against his former team this past weekend, missing out on a chance to topple Tom Brady in the AFC championship game two years in a row.

But whether his thigh injury was the reason for the Broncos' 24-13 loss to Andrew Luck and the Colts one week ago, football is over in the Mile High City; a city with "Mile High" hopes that Manning would be the savior who could deliver them their first Super Bowl title since John Elway won them back to back Lombardi Trophies in 1997 and 1998. Now, as the Broncos' General Manager and VP of Football Operations, Elway might have to think about something he probably wasn't considering.

What if Peyton Manning retires?

But before you say, "NO-Maha!" or "Say it ain't so-Maha!," the news about Manning retiring is only speculation at this point. The Broncos won't easily be able to replace a quarterback who knows as much about the game as Manning does. In 2010, Sporting News chose him as the 14th smartest athlete in sports. They also would have a rough time finding a guy who has had the same level of success and consistency that Manning has had. Just this past October, Manning connected with Demaryius Thomas against the 49ers for his record setting 509th career touchdown pass. This placed him as the all-time leader, ahead of another legendary quarterback, Brett Favre. And when it comes to being a fan favorite and a marketing machine, you'd be hard pressed to find a better one than Manning. He's done everything from hosting Saturday Night Live to getting paid in pizza franchises for doing Papa John's commercials. That coupled with commercials for Nationwide Insurance, Buick and other major companies, it's good to know he has a few dollars in the bank in case he retires.


Manning will have plenty of time for more commercials if he retires
(Google Images)

However, when you look at the fact that Manning played through a serious thigh injury that could make throwing much more difficult and that he had fairly serious neck surgery before he left Indy, how much longer does he really have to play? Manning is 38 and , while that isn't old by any stretch, that's old for a professional athlete in any sport. Elway retired from the Broncos in 1999 after two Super Bowl rings at age 39. Because of his age, Manning is also a creature of habit. You can't always teach an old dog new tricks and with a new head coach at the helm next year, and not that many years left to play, Manning could decide to hang up his helmet and not bother trying to learn another coach's offense.

Obviously, fans of the Chargers, the Chiefs and the Raiders all hope Manning decides to give it up. He's made life in the AFC West miserable since he got there two years ago, enabling the Broncos to win the division the last four years in a row. Kansas City has not been to the Super Bowl since their win over the Vikings in Super Bowl IV in 1970, San Diego only has a 1994 AFC championship  (as well as a pre-merger, 1963 AFL Championship Game win over the Boston Patriots), and Oakland would simply just like to have a winning season. "Commitment to Excellence"? Not so much. No more Manning, a quarterback who has been next to unstoppable against these three teams, might just make for more exciting, interesting competition in the AFC West next season. Throw in how good the Chargers and Chiefs have it could be a dogfight for the divisional crown in 2015.

While the hype around Peyton's retirement has died down in the wake of the many head coaching shakeups and "Deflate Gate" scandal that has made headlines since Sunday night, come the off season, any news or speculation should return to the forefront. While it would not be all that surprising to see the future hall of famer announce his retirement, it might be just as surprising to see Manning return for one last crack at a second Lombardi Trophy before he is enshrined in Canton.

It will be interesting to see if Mile High Stadium is still "Peyton's Place" in 2015.