With microphones picking up his “my last rodeo” comment to Bill Belichick after the AFC Championship Game win over the New England Patriots, we were given evidence that Super Bowl 50 may be the final game in the career of Denver Broncos quarterback Peyton Manning.
Manning will surely deflect questions about his future all week leading up to Sunday’s game, but on Monday Ian Rapoport of NFL Network offered an affirmation of Manning’s intent to retire.
“The reality is he let the cat out of the bag a little bit,” Rapoport said. “I also know he has told close friends that he expects this to be his last game as well.”
A decision to retire by Manning, win or lose on Sunday, will not be a big surprise given the depleted physical state he has clearly been in all season. It’s really only a question of time frame at this point, but I don’t expect Manning’s future to hang over the Broncos well into the offseason, and surely not like Brett Favre‘s retirement speculation hung over the Green Bay Packers in the past.
