NFL.com: Why did Peyton Manning retire?
NFL., The Associated Press – AP – JANUARY 16: Peyton Manning (14) celebrates with teammates after defeating the Tennessee Titans in overtime during the first quarter of the NFL football game at Nissan Stadium on January 16, 2018 in Nashville, Tennessee.
(Photo by Marvin Gentry/Getty Images) The Indianapolis Colts quarterback, who had two Super Bowl rings and won two more MVP awards, will retire on Saturday, but his replacement will not be known until a week or so after the game.
Manning’s final game in a Colts uniform is Sunday against the Kansas City Chiefs.
The Broncos also will not have a player selected until the middle of next week, meaning Manning’s retirement will come too late to make a big impact on the Broncos.
Manning, who has never won a Super Bowl and had his last game as an NFL player on the field against the Oakland Raiders in the 2016 season finale, had been out of the league for nearly two years when he signed a contract extension in late December, ending his 11-year NFL career.
He has a $17 million base salary, a $11 million signing bonus, a fifth-year option for 2019 and $3 million of $2.5 million in base salary that kicks in if he makes $75,000 in the final year of the deal.
The Colts also have a $2 million workout bonus and $500,000 of his base salary to make up for the $17.25 million salary cap hit he will have to pay for his two-year contract.
They also have an option to keep Manning if he leaves in the offseason for a team that does not pay him a salary.
The contract extension with Manning, which expires after the 2017 season, comes at a time when the Colts, who have not won a playoff game since the 2007 season, have a chance to make the playoffs.
The AFC South division champions are playing for a wild-card spot in the AFC Championship Game on Feb. 5.
Manning played well in the first half of the season, going 17-of-22 passing for 205 yards and a touchdown in his first two games.
The second half was a different story.
He completed only 23 of 39 passes for 272 yards and two interceptions, including one that was picked off by Marcus Mariota.
Manning will be 32 in April and has been in and out of games with multiple injuries throughout his career.
A former quarterback who threw for nearly 3,000 yards and 16 touchdowns during a five-year career with the Indianapolis Colts, he is regarded as one of the greatest quarterbacks of all time.
Manning has won three Super Bowls, including two with the Denver Broncos.
He is a four-time Pro Bowl selection, four-Time NFL MVP and four- Time NFL Offensive Player of the Year.
He won the NFL MVP award in 2015 and has six Pro Bowl nods, including three in four seasons with the Broncos, including the most recent two seasons.
Manning was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in January.
The Associated Statesman reported that the Broncos will have a quarterback selected in the second or third round.