Peyton Manning Will Retire From NFL As Greatest QB Of All Time

The Sheriff has decided to ride off into the sunset, and while his Hall of Fame enshrinement awaits him in five years, this much is undeniable: Peyton Manning has been the greatest quarterback to ever play in the NFL.

This is no slight to the likes of Joe Montana, Johnny Unitas, or even Tom Brady, who is obviously the closest comparison to Manning of this generation. Certainly, all of those players hold a legitimate claim to the title of “GOAT”, but when you look at what Manning has built over the course of nearly 20 years in the NFL, the lasting impact is undeniable.

We could delve into the stats – Manning holds nearly every meaningful passing record in the books with 539 touchdowns, 71,940 career passing yards and 200 wins counting the playoffs. He has five MVP awards to his credit, more than any player in history. And of course, as we saw just weeks ago when the Denver Broncos defeated the Carolina Panthers in Super Bowl 50, he’s the only starting quarterback to win a championship with two teams.

I could go on and on about whether or not the Indianapolis Colts were right to release Manning, four years ago this Tuesday for anybody who might be counting, but what’s more important is his impact on the game and the city where he got it all started. Manning ran his offenses in Indianapolis and Denver with an efficiency unrivaled in history. His ability to control the game from the line of scrimmage meant that defensive coaches around the NFL had to game-plan like crazy, only to see No. 18 tear up their best work anyway.

And then there is the legacy in Indianapolis. Lucas Oil Stadium might as well have had Manning’s name on it instead, as the team only had one season after his rookie year with less than 10 wins. More importantly, Manning’s name actually is emblazoned on the Children’s Hospital at St. Vincent, and he’s more than just a financial figurehead, making visits to patients and families there and driving fundraising in the city. The city loves him, and it’s clear that he legitimately loves the city back.

Many will look at this last regular season in Denver as simply a broken Manning riding a legendary defense to a championship, but that’s short-sighted. Coming off four neck surgeries in 2011, Manning was an unknown commodity for the Broncos – right up until the time he put on the pads and stepped on the field.

He produced four straight AFC West titles, two Super Bowl appearances and the development of players like Demaryius Thomas and Emmanuel Sanders into legitimate NFL stars. John Elway built that defense, something Manning never really had in Indy, to complement Manning, not to hide him, and it worked better than anybody really could have expected.

Sure, there will be those who argue that Manning’s playoff record isn’t immaculate, or that he threw too many interceptions this year, but he raised the expectations for every single player on his team, and every other passer in the NFL.

Manning turns 40 a little over two weeks from today, and with nothing left to prove on the field, he’s earned the right to step away and spend more time with his family, or to do whatever else it is he has in store.

So long, Peyton, and on behalf of football fans everywhere:

Thank you.