Peyton Manning decided to return to the University of Tennessee prior to the 1997 NFL draft. Had he made a different choice, the impact on the Patriots, Jets and rest of the NFL may have been astronomical.
In 1996, Manning, then a junior, was one of the top college quarterbacks in the country, and he very well could have been the No. 1 pick in the NFL draft.
What team held the No. 1 overall pick in the draft? None other than Bill Parcells’ New York Jets. Parcells left the AFC champion Patriots after the 1996 season to take the Jets' head coaching job.
Former New York Giants quarterback Phil Simms advised Manning during that time. Simms provided Manning advice based on his experience as a quarterback under Parcells.
"If you a chance to play for Bill Parcells, then you run a 4.3 sprint to get there," Simms told Manning, according to the New York Post.
Not only would Manning have worked with Parcells on the Jets, but he would also have had the chance to work with Bill Belichick, an assistant head coach and defensive coordinator with the Jets under Parcells.
Of course, there is an excellent reason why this scenario never played out — Manning wanted to finish his college career at Tennessee.
“I think Peyton wanted to stay, deep down,” Archie Manning, Peyton’s father, told the Post. “I think I actually may have messed him up some when I got him thinking Bill Parcells might wind up coaching the Jets, and the Jets might draft him. I think that made the decision a lot harder for him.”
Manning returned for his senior year, and the rest is history. Now, the Colts quarterback has the chance to reach his second Super Bowl with a victory over the Jets in Sunday’s AFC championship game.
