When it comes to this past current NFL offseason, it sounds like the biggest move is one that wasn't made. This is according to Benjamin Allbright who teased and then posted on Twitter that the Broncos were looking to trade Peyton Manning to Houston:
Predictably Denver denies that such a negotiation ever took place. Accurate or not, that's exactly what we'd all expect them to do. John Elway and Co. aren't just going to come out and admit "Yeah, it's true we tried to get rid of him. He's old. I mean fuck, did you see him at the end of last season?" In fact, Elway said this:
Allbright himself also posted an on-the-record comment from the Broncos' VP of public relations (which is about as trustworthy as a lawyer saying his client is innocent. Maybe he is, but we can't really tell):
Manning's agent also denied the report:
Many people on Twitter (including people who cover the Broncos) questioned Allbrigh's credibility, but Fansided website Dawg Pound Daily had a story from around the time of the NFL Draft that has noted how frequently Allbright's been correct this offseason.
All you can do (at the moment) is chalk this up to the rumor mill that is NFL trade discussions. Peyton struggled at the end of last season. That may have been due to an injury, or may have been due to the fact that he was 38-years-old. Now a year later he's a year older, that's usually how aging works. Additionally the trade was supposedly offered up before Manning and Denver agreed on a "revised contract," that docked his pay by $4 million dollars. His new deal also included a previously un-included "No Trade Clause." The reasoning would also hold up if you looked at the Texans' online depth chart, which currently lists Ryan Mallett as the team's No. 1 QB.
Either way Manning's staying in Colorado for the upcoming campaign. That's all been decided now. Still, it should be interesting to see if any internal drama leaks out of this. If Manning's shaky at the beginning of the year, will new coach Gary Kubiak bench the legend in favor of Osweiler? Or is this moment bound to repeat itself until Peyton's carted off on a stretcher?:
[via @AllbrightNFL]
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