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Peyton Manning had an incredible tenure with the Indianapolis Colts. He ultimately won a Super Bowl and turned out to be one of the greatest quarterbacks in NFL history. However, Manning’s Colts career came to an abrupt end when Colts owner Jim Irsay decided to dump him and draft Andrew Luck with the No. 1 overall pick. Well, now, nearly a decade after the move, Manning, who recently learned he would be inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame, has addressed the situation.
Peyton Manning and the Colts dominated together
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The Indianapolis Colts selected Peyton Manning with the No. 1 pick in the 1998 NFL Draft. He ultimately struggled in his first season, as he led the NFL with 28 interceptions. Manning, however, eventually became a star with the Colts starting in 1999.
From 1999 to 2010, Manning won a Pro Bowl selection in 11 of 12 seasons. He also led the NFL in passing yards twice and threw for 4,700 yards in 2010. It was then that ‘He led the league in touchdowns three times, throwing up to 49 in 2004. Manning’s play earned him four MVPs. awards in Indianapolis, too.
In addition to Manning’s individual success, the Colts have had great success as a team. Indianapolis went to the playoffs in 11 of 12 seasons from 1999-2010, played three AFC championship games and went to two Super Bowls. Manning and the Colts also won the Super Bowl in the 2006 season.
Manning then missed the entire 2011 season with the Colts and joined the Denver Broncos in 2012. He went on to win three consecutive Pro Bowl caps with the Broncos in four seasons and even won the MVP award in 2013, while he pitched for a 5,477 NFL leader. The league’s leading yards and 55 touchdowns – the most in a single season in league history. Manning and the Broncos went on to win the Super Bowl in his final season in 2015.
For his career, Manning threw for 71,940 yards and 539 touchdowns, both of which are third all-time. He also won 14 Pro Bowl selections and won the NFL MVP award five times.
Peyton Manning’s Colts career ended because of Andrew Luck
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After the 2011 season that Manning missed with injury, Colts owner Jim Irsay decided to part ways with then-36-year-old Manning and draft his future quarterback with the first pick in the general classification – Andrew Luck.
As mentioned above, Manning continued to dominate with the Broncos. He went to two more Super Bowls and won one more. The Colts, however, weren’t too bad with Luck. They made the playoffs in each of Luck’s first three seasons and even made it into the AFC Championship game in his third season in 2014.
However, Indianapolis missed the playoffs in three straight seasons from 2015 to 2017, and Luck missed the whole year during that 2017 season. Indy then made the playoffs again in 2018, but Luck took shockingly retiring ahead of the 2019 season. Thus, Irsay’s decision to part ways with Manning ultimately did not bear fruit, as Luck only retired three more seasons after Manning.
So what does Manning think of the situation now?
He sent a strong message about the situation
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Peyton Manning attended Super Bowl 55 after learning he had been elected to the Hall of Fame the day before. Ahead of the Super Bowl, Manning appeared on former Colts teammate Pat McAfee’s show and discussed his relationship with Jim Irsay.
“I spent 14 wonderful years there; obviously that’s the team I wanted to play forever, ”said Manning, who went to the Super Bowl in Irsay’s big plane, in the Feb. 7 episode of The Pat McAfee Show. “Things happen; I got injured. The foals get the first [overall] to choose. Being bitter and frustrated; it’s like it ruined everything you worked for in those 14 years. So Jim Irsay drafted me out, he always supported me so I understood the decision he had to make and no hard feelings. For him to send his plane to fly me and my son here; it was a nice gesture.
So what about this plane?
“I thought it was like the team plane to fly all the Indianapolis Colts. Literally there’s the logo on it, ”Manning said. “… Lots of room for me and Marshall. We were throwing the soccer ball on that plane.
Peyton Manning’s Colts career probably didn’t end the way he wanted it to, but it looks like everything has gone well for the Pro Football Hall of Famer.
Statistics provided by Pro Football Reference
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