It’s the end of the Peyton Manning era. And shockingly, it’s not even a shock.
If you had even mentioned in passing the possibility of the Indianapolis Colts cutting Manning two years ago, you would have been laughed off of the Internet. No, it’s a stark reality that with the uncertainty of his health, his age and the fact that the Colts have a franchise quarterback virtually waiting on deck that it makes complete sense for the team to cut him.
In what world would it make sense to hand over $28 million to a man that might not even be physically able to do his job anymore? The only thing that was keeping Manning on the Colts was sentimentality.
Now, the reality is that this is Andrew Luck’s team. Like Manning did in 1998, the Stanford QB who has been the best college QB for two years will take over the Colts.
Aside: The amount that Luck will make in the first four years of his rookie deal will be less than Manning would have made with his bonus.
So now only questions remain: Where will Peyton go? Is he actually healthy enough to play? What kind of guaranteed money can he get in his contract? Or will it be mainly incentive-based? Will Reggie Wayne follow him?
With all those question marks abound, the only thing for certain is this: NFL free agency just got a lot more fun.