The Denver Broncos spent the early part of the offseason wondering if Peyton Manning would return for another season (and possibly whether they even wanted him to). Eventually, it became apparent that Manning wanted to continue playing, and he and the Broncos went to work on making it happen.
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Eventually, the two sides agreed to slightly restructure Manning's deal, which resulted in the future Hall-of-Famer taking a pay cut, presumably to help the team retain some of its key players. Of course, the team still had to franchise star wide receiver Demaryious Thomas, and they lost star tight end Julius Thomas.
The latter Thomas was Manning's favorite red zone target, and now he will play in Jacksonville. The team was unable or unwilling to keep Terrance Knighton on defense, and they also watched other key players walk away without getting much back in return.
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Perhaps the Broncos have a larger plan at work, and Manning is undoubtedly privy to the team's machinations. However, Manning's decision to return had nothing to do with money or statistics. Having made nearly a quarter-billion dollars from salary alone and long since locked up a bust in Canton, Manning only returned to chase another Super Bowl ring.
To this point, it would seem that the Broncos are a worse team than they were last year, and it is fair to wonder if Manning is debating whether he made a mistake. The AFC will be just as tough as last year, if not more so, and the Broncos will still have to face many of the same obstacles.
Manning is too much of a team player to air grievances in the media, but behind closed doors, it is entirely possible that he feels let down by the team after they have - to this point - failed to constructively use the money that he gave back to help the franchise.
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