Peyton Manning padded his legacy as one of the greatest--if not the greatest--regular season quarterbacks in NFL history with a record-breaking season in 2013, and though his contract runs through 2016 with the Denver Broncos, retirement questions have arisen. In the midst of rumors, the signal caller has no intentions to pack it up after this season and is just looking towards the Broncos' game against the San Diego Chargers Sunday in the Divisional Playoffs.
NFL.com reports that while Manning, 37, has no inkling of retiring before his deal runs out, he admitted that the thought of retiring is at least on the horizon for him, first saying that he was just looking forward to Sunday.
"It's going to be a great atmosphere on Sunday, playing a good football team, and there is nothing else I would rather be doing than be in that opportunity," Manning said Wednesday, via the Broncos' official website. "And so that is certainly my goal to enjoy the preparation -- not just the game --to actually enjoy the preparation part of it, enjoy being around the guys."
Manning then told the site that he can see himself retiring sometime soon.
"Because certainly, the light is at the end of the tunnel for me -- no question. And so, I think you enjoy these things maybe even more than maybe you have in the past," he said.
With the Broncos' firing on all cylinders this season, Manning is looking to prove doubters wrong by showing he can once again be triumphant in the postseason. There were rumors that the signal caller would retire if he led the team to a Super Bowl trophy as John Elway did in 1998. Manning has no plans of following those footsteps.
NFL.com reports that Manning said in August retiring on top with a Lombardi Trophy is "really not" a priority. The Broncos finished 13-3 this season but a first-round exit will lead to Manning's' postseason critics growing louder if the team fails to beat the Chargers Sunday.
Manning, who is aiming for the second Super Bowl triumph of his career, set records this season by going 450-for-659 (68.3%) for 5,477 yards with 55 touchdowns and 10 interceptions.
Manning's' 2013 regular season will never be forgotten and with no plans of retiring he may top it next year--but another early exit in the playoffs this season could go a long way in hurting his playoff legacy.
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