Peyton Manning Hangs It Up

Two time Super Bowl winning quarterback and owner of a boatload of NFL records Peyton Manning called it a career on March 7th, 2016. Manning goes out on top after leading the Denver Broncos to a 24-10 victory over the Carolina Panthers in Super Bowl 50.

Besides winning Super Bowl 50 with the Broncos, Manning also led the Indianapolis Colts to a 29-17 victory over the Chicago Bears in Super Bowl XLI following the 2006 season. Manning was drafted as the first overall pick in the 1998 NFL draft and played for the Colts through the 2010 season. He missed all of the 2011 season recovering from a neck injury and surgery. The Colts decided to go in a different direction in 2012, drafting QB Andrew Luck and releasing Manning.

It looked like the end of the line for Manning as an NFL quarterback, but he signed a five year contract free agent contract with the Denver Broncos in 2012. He was far from finished. In 2013, Manning passed for 5477 yards and 55 touchdowns, both NFL records. Manning was the league MVP for the fifth time, but had a poor performance along with the rest of the Broncos in losing Super Bowl XLVIII to the Seattle Seahawks 43-8. He got a chance to avenge that performance in Super Bowl 50, which he did, and goes out a winner. Sounds like the perfect time to retire.

Manning holds the all time NFL records for touchdown passes (539) and passing yards (71,940). Here he is breaking Brett Favre’s touchdown pass record.