Denver Broncos Rumors: Peyton Manning Could Hit The Wall This Season As Team Prepares For His Exit

The Denver Broncos are rumored to be preparing for the end of the Peyton Manning era, and the team is looking at an exit plan for the Hall of Famer as he nears what many believe will be a drop-off season.

Manning came to Denver back in March 2012 with hopes of leading the Broncos to a Super Bowl title, but he only came as close as a blowout loss to the Seattle Seahawks in Super Bowl XLVIII and has other disappointing playoff exits. Now accumulating injuries, combined with a slide in his play, has Manning’s future in Denver filled with uncertainty.

Some experts believe Manning is ready to hit the proverbial wall this year. In an extensive report for Sports Illustrated, Doug Farrar studied Manning’s play compared to other quarterbacks and determined that “between age, scheme, talent attrition and overall physical concerns, Manning’s downhill slide seems a near-inevitability.”

Farrar wrote, “Last December, Peyton Manning threw just three touchdowns and six interceptions. The 38-year-old followed that up with a postseason performance in which he averaged fewer than five yards per attempt and completed fewer than 57% of his passes (including one completion in eight attempts on passes 20 yards or more). That kind of play, coupled with a quadriceps injury that impacted his accuracy and velocity, is going to create legitimate reason for concern about his future in the NFL—even for Manning.”

There have been rumors this offseason that the Denver Broncos are preparing for their endgame with Peyton Manning, including reported trade talks with the Houston Texans.

The team ultimately denied shopping Manning, but NFL.com noted that the trade talks made sense.

“I do believe there was some conversation between the Texans and several teams who have quarterbacks,” NFL Media Insider Ian Rapoport told the Rich Eisen Show. “What it sounds like is that the Texans — without a quarterback and before they signed (Brian) Hoyer and (Ryan) Mallett — reached out to teams and tried to see what was there.”

There has also been speculation that Peyton Manning is ready for retirement. Manning took several weeks before making his 2015 return official, and some insiders believe he won’t make the same decision after this year.

While the Denver Broncos are surrounded by rumors of a fall-off or possible exit by Peyton Manning, the team at least publicly appears to be moving in the right direction. Manning has said he’s excited about new coach Gary Kubiak’s system, and the team just locked down star receiver Demaryius Thomas with a new contract.

[Image via Getty Images]