All eyes are on Peyton Manning with the Super Bowl approaching Sunday. It remains unclear if the quarterback plans to retire in 2016. Manning has said he has yet to make up his mind while Ian Rapoport of NFL Media says that the Denver Broncos quarterback has told friends and family that this will be his last game in the league. One thing is clear, the Broncos will need quarterback help in the upcoming year and Brock Osweiler could be favored regardless of what happens to Manning.
According to general manager John Elway, there will be no rushed decision on Manning and his future. The Broncos are not making a call on what the future holds at the quarterback position just yet. Elway told the media they will let Manning make a call on his future before deciding what to do for the starting job in 2016.
"He's got plenty of time, whatever time he needs," Elway said, via the Denver Post. "I think it's never going to be a quick decision. You don't want it to be. It's one that's going to change his life, and it's always a hard decision. So we'll give him plenty of time." "You never want to walk from the game you love until you really have to. It all depends on what your standards are, how well you want to be able to play, how well you can play."
According to Tom Pelissero of USA Today, all signs point to Osweiler being the starter in 2016, but determining how that happens will be difficult. Osweiler's contract is expiring this offseason and getting him signed to a new one could be tough. Osweiler will not come cheap as he likely understands his worth on the open market. Elway told the Denver Post that the team fully intends to bring back Osweiler next year, but they might also target help in the NFL Draft in order to establish depth.
Osweiler showed talent in his time starting over Manning, but he is no guaranteed success. Demaryius Thomas and Emmanuel Sanders both praised the quarterback for what he did in place of the veteran, but was it enough for the Broncos to stake their future on? Denver could also target a quarterback in a later round of the NFL Draft as players like Jake Coker, Kevin Hogan, Cody Kessler or Dak Prescott could all be strong options to develop while Osweiler proves himself in the role in 2016.
If Manning opts to return, it is unclear whether or not the Broncos will keep him under contract. He comes with a big salary cap hit which Denver did not plan on keeping when the restructured the quarterback's contract. Elway would not speculate on the matter.