INQUISITR.COM / Sports

Peyton Manning Patriots: Could New England Sign Quarterback Peyton Manning Until Tom Brady Returns?

By Jason Fletcher
Published on: 05:50 PST, Sep 19, 2016

Could the New England Patriots actually be interested in signing Peyton Manning? That’s a question that many news stations are asking this morning after CBS‘ Boomer Esiason brought up Manning’s name as a potential backup quarterback option for the New England Patriots following Jimmy Garoppolo’s shoulder injury suffered on Sunday against the Miami Dolphins.

Here’s the Patriots’ conundrum: Tom Brady isn’t eligible to return from suspension until Week 5, which would leave the Patriots with rookie Jacoby Brissett as the only healthy quarterback on the roster if Garoppolo is forced to miss time. New England would be taking a huge risk if they entered Week 3 against the Houston Texans with Brissett as the team’s only active quarterback.

Following Sunday’s 31-24 victory over the Dolphins, The NFL Today host Jim Brown asked Bill Cowher, Tony Gonzalez, Bart Scott and Boomer Esiason about some possible candidates for the Patriots to target in the coming days. Almost immediately, Esiason brings up Manning’s name as a possible option and nearly gets laughed off the set.

Jason McIntyre from Fox Sports agrees with Esiason that the Patriots should sign Manning.

On the other hand, there are a number reasons why Peyton Manning isn’t a serious option for the New England Patriots so let’s go through them one-by-one.

1. Manning’s Arm Is Shot

It’s true that Manning was the quarterback of the Super Bowl 50 Champion Denver Broncos, but the Broncos essentially won the Super Bowl in spite of him. Peyton appeared in 10 regular season games for Denver in 2015 and completed a career-low 59.8 percent of his passes while throwing nine touchdowns and 17 interceptions. This isn’t the Manning of three years ago.

2. Peyton Turned Down The Vikings After Teddy Bridgewater’s Injury

If Manning truly had the itch to get back on the field, he would’ve gone and played for the Minnesota Vikings after Bridgewater shredded his knee during training camp. The Vikings are built to be Super Bowl contenders at every position except quarterback, but Peyton had zero interest in returning to the field, according to Pro Football Talk.

3. What Happens When Tom Brady Returns?

If Manning were to sign with the Patriots, he would essentially be joining for two games. Then what happens when Brady returns? Do you actually think that Peyton Manning would accept becoming Tom Brady’s backup for the rest of the season? There’s no chance of that happening so that would essentially mean that Manning would be signing to come back for two games. Not happening.

4. Rivalry

Peyton’s biggest rival during his career was Tom Brady and the New England Patriots. Whether he was with the Indianapolis Colts or the Denver Broncos, Manning always ended up going toe-to-toe with Brady and Belichick and often ended up on the losing side of things. Even after a few months removed from football, there’s zero chance that Manning would suddenly be willing to don a Patriots jersey.

It’s for these reasons that there’s zero possibility of Peyton Manning joining the Patriots. New England only needs to find a capable backup for two games until Brady returns in Week 5. And it sounds like a slight possibility that Garoppolo may actually be able to dress on Thursday night against the Texans and serve as an emergency quarterback in the chance of an injury to Brissett, according to NFL insider Ian Rapoport.

If Garoppolo turns out to be healthy enough to serve as the No. 2 quarterback in Week 3, then crisis averted for the Patriots. One thing is for sure, though — there’s zero chance that Peyton Manning will ever be wearing a New England Patriots uniform.

[Featured Image by Ezra Shaw/Getty Images]

Share this article: Peyton Manning Patriots: Could New England Sign Quarterback Peyton Manning Until Tom Brady Returns?
tom brady nfl New England Patriots peyton manning Jimmy Garoppolo
More from Inquisitr