Why Peyton Manning Should Return to the NFL

Why Peyton Manning Should Return to the NFL

"He's been such a highly accomplished performer year in and year out. Just when you think you've seen his best, he improves upon it." – Jim Caldwell. There is no doubt that Peyton Manning has already cemented his legacy as one of the greatest NFL quarterbacks of all time and a bid in the Hall of Fame. However, many people see his past accomplishments and see his current health problems, and think he needs to just retire while he is still on top. I say those people are delusional. If all goes well with his upcoming surgeries, he expects to start at the first game of the year. The current situation with the Colts and Peyton is a difficult one, and it has many people wondering whether or not he will ever wear a Colts jersey again. But even if he doesn’t play for the Colts, he is still capable of being the best quarterback in the league no matter what team he plays for next season. After having thought about this topic for a while now, I have put together three reasons why Peyton should return to the NFL.

Reason number 1: One of the main arguments against him coming back is that he is too old and his health is failing. However, it’s been proven time and time again that age is just a number, and his health is actually better than people are led to believe. When asked in an interview recently concerning his health, Peyton said, “I really feel good. I continue to make progress every day. Everything that the doctors have told me has been on point, which is encouraging to me.” He will turn 36 during next season. Granted, that is pretty old for an NFL player, which, according to a Businessweek article from January 2011, the average age of an NFL player is 27. There is no doubt he still has the physical tools to compete at a high-level. Have we forgotten that in 2010 he passed for over 4,700 yards and threw 33 Touchdowns? He did that as a 34 year old.  As long as he has that mental drive to play the game, I don’t think his age will play any factor, at least not for another three or four years. It’s not crazy to think that Peyton has a couple more good seasons in him, if not more.

Reason number 2: From the NFL’s perspective, they would love to see Peyton stick around for another couple years. But it’s probably not for the same reasons why most people want him to stay. The NFL has become a giant business whose main drive isn’t football anymore, but money. Thus it’s no surprise that they would want him to stay since he has been in the top 10 best-selling jerseys for the past 5 years, according to NFLShop.com. The NFL would lose a lot of money just from jersey sales alone if Peyton retired now. From there eyes, there is still a lot of money to be made from him. Also, just having the name “Manning” on something, the NFL is making money off of it.

Reason number 3: Peyton is a competitor and he is still capable of winning another Super Bowl. Also, who wants to be “one-upped” by their little brother? By the end of the 2010 season, Peyton is third on the all-time TD passes, passes completed, and total yards list in a career. Either the Colts don’t want another Super Bowl or they are already preparing for the future with their number 1 overall pick in this year’s draft. Regardless, they are being foolish. There is no downside to keeping him around. They can still use their pick to get Andrew Luck in the draft, and then have him sit behind Peyton for a couple years learning from one of the best quarterbacks who have ever lived. Peyton is the once in a generation type of quarterback who has changed the game for the better. He mastered the concept of reading and breaking down defenses. Defensive coordinators have often times called Peyton a “headache” to coach against because of his uncanny ability to dissect the defense. He could audible at the line because he noticed something in the defense he didn’t like, and the majority of the time he was right. Even in the NFL, not many offensive coordinators like their quarterbacks changing the plays at the line, but Peyton has proven to be different. After one of his games in 2010, he said, “We were aggressive the first series of the second half. I was changing every play. Tom (the offensive coordinator) was calling some run plays. I just kind of got hot and changed it.”

There are good QB’s, then there are great QB’s, then there is Peyton Manning. For the last 14 seasons, he has set the bar for most QB’s in the NFL today. Even if the Colts can’t find a spot on their roster for Peyton, I am sure another team will, and when that team does, they all but guaranteed themselves a shot at going to the Super Bowl. Peyton Manning has inspired many, and will continue to inspire those around him. Thus it shouldn’t come to a surprise to people when Peyton walks out playing in the first game of the season.