While many believe Peyton Manning will return to the Denver Broncos in 2015, the quarterback has yet to address his pending status. Manning ended 2014 playing on a torn quad that cost the team a chance to advance in the playoffs. The Broncos then went through a coaching overhaul while several of their key offensive playmakers have their futures in doubt. However, one person certain Manning returns to the field is Patriots quarterback Tom Brady.
Brady and Manning have been highly regarded as the two best quarterbacks in the league, each being each other's rival throughout their career. Brady is hoping that continues noting that he has not spoken with Manning about his future, but he is certainly hopeful the quarterback returns for another season.
"What a great player he's been for this league," Brady said, via NFL.com. "He's a great competitor, and I've been fortunate to play against him a bunch of times. I certainly hope he comes back, 'cause the league will miss him if he doesn't. But those decisions are up to him. I'm sure it's up to whether he's mentally and physically -- that's what he wants to do. But I certainly hope he's back."
Brady noted that injuries certainly do factor into whether or not the quarterback returns and he believes Manning will do a good job of evaluating where he is physically and if he can play longer. Some believe the coaching staff is the biggest factor in the decision as John Fox was fired and Adam Gase left. Gary Kubiak will not take over as Archie Manning says the quarterback does not mind the changes in staff.
"Yeah, but he loves Gary. He likes Gary," Manning said. "He liked John Fox. He liked Adam Gase. All those things, I think, are considered with. But my deal is he's always made good decisions; he's pretty thorough. He's going to evaluate a lot of things, and I think he'll make a good decision."
The Broncos have other issues to worry about outside of Manning. Right now it appears Julius Thomas is headed for free agency along with Wes Welker. Demaryius Thomas could return, but there are grumblings of a franchise tag while Emmanuel Sanders is there to anchor the unit. There are certainly a lot of changes happening in Denver and most do not revolve around Manning.
