Peyton Manning Officially A Bronco

The Denver Broncos officially introduced Peyton Manning as their new starting QB yesterday after finalizing a 5-year deal worth $96 Million earlier this week. Prior to the signing, the question of the future of the QB position in Denver had been in serious doubt following Tim Tebow's miraculous run to the Divisional Round of the playoffs last year. It has been well documented that despite his winning percentage, many people both, within and without the Broncos organization, seriously doubted his ability to been a full-time QB in the NFL because of his inferior skill-set as a passer. With that in mind it was far from surprising to see their interest in acquiring Manning when he was released by Indianapolis. Manning felt particularly comfortable with Denver, especially with team President John Elway. With Peyton at the helm it appears evident that Denver will look to trade Tebow as soon as they can.

I was initially surprised to see Manning command such a high salary figure considering he will be 37 by the time the season begins and concerns about his health and atrophied arm-strength after he missed the entirety of the 2011 season following multiple neck surgeries. However it seems that Manning was able to demonstrate to teams that his arm is close to being back to the level that saw him throw for more than 50,000 yards and nearly 400 TDs while appearing in 11 Pro-Bowls while in a Colts uniform. During yesterday's press conference Elway said he was confident that Manning had a lot of good football left in him and he should know better than anyone as he lead the Broncos to back-to-back Super Bowl titles after he turned 37. Since Elway's retirement following his Super Bowl MVP performance over the Atlanta Falcons in Super Bowl XXXIII, the Broncos have seen 11 different Quarterbacks under center, none of which have come close to serving as a suitable replacement. They may have found that answer in Manning, even if only for a short time.

The fallout of this story will be the future of Tim Tebow as a number of possible suitors for his services have surfaced, most notably the Miami Dolphins and Jacksonville Jaguars. Both Florida teams have uncertainty at QB following disappointing 2011 season's and acquiring Tebow would be an immediately, even if ultimately short-lived, boost for their respective fan bases in light of Tebow's historic career at the helm of the University of Florida. Most agree that it is highly unlikely that Tebow will ever be a full-time starting QB, however his terrific running ability will make him attractive to many teams in search of a change-of-pace.