Yes they did. Manning had a contract with the Colts which they had felt in earlier years was to their advantage. They wanted him to take a pay cut, and when he wouldn't do it, they booted him out. The rest is propaganda.
$28 million dollars is "propaganda"? They were contractually obligated to pay him that amount on March 6 (or thereabouts) if he remained under contract, whether he ever played another down, or not. I'm not a big fan of Jim Irsay or owners in general, who tend to act like spoiled brats with pockets full of money, but to keep Manning under those circumstances would have been insane. Irsay tried to negotiate a deal that would soften that obligation, but Manning was intransigent (and why not?). It was a stupid contractual obligation to begin with.
Manning didn't handle the situation very well,
if he intended to stay with the Colts. Which I actually doubt. I thnk both Irsay and Manning were looking for a way to part with grace, and in the end, that wasn't done too badly.
The Colts were the worst team in the league last year, and it wasn't just because Peyton Manning was injured and missed the season. If he'd been healthy, and played, instead of going 2-14, they would have gone about 5-11. They just plain weren't very good. They jettisoned several other veteran players as well, notably Peyton's buddy Dallas Clark, who was also injured, but who still might have some use for another team, and why not the Broncos?
Manning now, for the first time since he was a rookie, faces a cast of players, notably receivers, he's never worked with before. No quarterback in the history of the league has ever done more play alteration at the line of scrimmage than he does. The new guys around him aren't going to be comfy with that, at least at first. I predict lots of false start penalties. And the timing with receivers will need a lot of work. Plus Denver last year was pretty shoddy at protecting the quarterback, no matter if it was Orton or Tebow. They could win the division again, because it's filled with crappy teams, but I wouldn't bet my house on great success.
And
five years??????????? Name me one quarterback in league history who has been truly successful at age 42. My fear is seeing Peyton Manning turn into Bret Favre his last three years. Or worse.
Peyton Manning is a first-ballot lock for the NFL Hall of Fame. His only real gripe is that his little brother now has one more SuperBowl ring than he has. Is anybody here willing to bet much on the possibility of him winning another with the Broncos?
I give him two years, after which John Elway will be deep in Regretsville.
caw