Peyton Manning thinks Tom Brady is selling himself short.
There’s been some debate of late about how much gas Brady has left in the tank, as the New England Patriots quarterback indicated in October he hopes to play another 10 years. A full decade of Brady seems far-fetched given that he’ll be 39 when the 2016Â season starts, but Manning knows better than to doubt his QB counterpart or Patriots head coach Bill Belichick.
“Hey, Brady’s going to play until he’s 70 (years old), Belichick’s going to coach until he’s 90,” Manning joked, according to CSNNE.com, at Monday’s Super Bowl 50 Opening Night when asked about his embraces with Brady and Belichick following the Denver Broncos’ AFC Championship Game win over New England. “Maybe I hit the fountain of youth in the next month and I play another 10 years. Maybe we play in 10 more championships against each other. But just in case we don’t, I took the time to look them in the eye, man-to-man, shook their hands and I’m glad that I did it because it was important to me that they knew that. There in the moment, face-to-face, man-to-man, that’s all that that meant.”
Manning told Belichick during their postgame exchange that the Broncos’ playoff run could be his “last rodeo,” meaning there’s a chance the quarterback will retire after Sunday’s big game against the Carolina Panthers. When Manning calls it quits, he’ll go down as one of the greatest quarterbacks in NFL history. His battles against Brady, Belichick and the Pats — first as a member of the Indianapolis Colts and then with the Broncos — are worth cherishing, hence his candidness.
“That was not pre-planned. It was a spontaneous reaction,” Manning said of his postgame chat with Belichick, which generated plenty of headlines. “Sometimes you want to tell somebody something man-to-man, it’s better than telling them via text or even a handwritten letter, or seeing them at a banquet and saying, ‘Boy, it sure was great playing against you.’
“I told Brady the same thing previous to telling Belichick. I understand there’s people (nearby) but what I said was true. This could be it. I’m aware this could be it and I wanted to tell both of them I really have enjoyed these games. It’s been part of my football life and both of those guys have been part of good for me and not so good for me, and so I took the time to tell them.”
Brady and Manning haven’t been shy about expressing their mutual admiration over the years. It’s too bad this could be Manning’s “last rodeo” because Brady looks poised for a few more before he hangs up the cleats.
Thumbnail photo via Mark J. Rebilas/USA TODAY Sports Images
