Milestone No. 3: The Broncos win the Peyton Manning sweepstakes
Apr 9, 2025, 7:06 AM
The Fan is turning 30! For three decades, the station has been covering Denver sports, serving as a media outlet of record for the biggest events over the past 30 years.
There have been a lot of them. From championships to MVPs, from historic seasons to improbable victories, The Fan has been there for all of them.
What were the best of the best? During a six week span, Denver Sports will chronicle the moments that stood out the most. It’s a countdown from No. 30 to No. 1, in a series called “Mile High Milestones.”
Enjoy the trip down memory lane!
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On March 7, 2012, the greatest free agent in the history of the National Football League hit the market. Peyton Manning, one of the most-prolific passers in the history of the league and (then) four-time Most Valuable Player, was released by the Colts.
It was surreal. A player of that stature normally gets to dictate the course of his career. An all-time great almost always is allowed to choose his exit path.
But a confluence of events created this unique situation. Almost a year earlier, Manning had undergone one of multiple neck surgeries to repair damage done during the 2010 season. He was expected to return in time for the ’11 season, but things didn’t go according to plan. The quarterback’s recovery was off schedule from the beginning, in part due to the NFL lockout, and he wound up missing the entire year.
Without their leader, Indianapolis struggled. The Colts went 2-14, earning the No. 1 overall pick in the draft as a result. That year, a generational quarterback just happened to be at the top of everyone’s board, with Stanford’s Andrew Luck pegged as a sure-fire franchise quarterback.
Indy couldn’t pass on Luck, even with Manning in the fold. He was younger. He was healthier. And he was the future.
So a little over a year after signing one of the greatest QB’s in league history to a five-year, $90-million contract, the Colts tearfully said goodbye to Manning. And the rest of the league scrambled, hoping to pounce on the opportunity.
Every team would be thrilled to have a quarterback of his stature. But a few rose to the top as potential landing spots.
San Francisco and Seattle were interested. Arizona and Houston were, as well. There were silly rumors about Tennessee offering the QB an ownership stake, paying no attention to the obvious salary-cap implications of such a deal. The Jets were in the mix, as were the Dolphins. Washington was mentioned, with Mike Shanahan at the helm. Even Kansas City was mentioned as a potential destination.
Noticeably absent from those lists, at least early in the process, was the Broncos. Most didn’t seen Denver as a viable landing spot for the future Hall-of-Fame quarterback.
For one, the team plays outdoors, in a city that gets cold once Halloween rolls around. But the bigger factor was the fact that the Broncos already had their quarterback; or at least some people thought.
During the 2011 season, Denver had gone through the thrill ride that was Tebow Mania. With Tim Tebow at QB, the Broncos pulled off some of the wildest comeback victories in recent memory. They cobbled together wins, recovered from a disastrous start, finished 8-8, won the AFC West and even notched a playoff W when Tebow hit Demaryius Thomas for an 80-yard touchdown on the first play of overtime against the Steelers in the Wild Card Game.
Surely, the Broncos would play things out with Tebow. They had to see what he could do for an encore.
That’s what most people thought. John Elway had other ideas.
The Broncos legend knew the importance of a big-time quarterback. After all, he was one for 16 years in Denver. So when the chance arose for him to fill the most-important position in all of sports with one of the best to ever play the game, he pounced.
Elway quietly courted Manning. He didn’t pressure the free agent. Instead, he bonded on a QB-to-QB front, relating to the decision that needed to be made, the legacy that was at stake and the importance of the next chapter.
Ultimately, the subtle pitch worked. On March 20, 2012, Manning was introduced as the Broncos next quarterback. He was inked to a five-year, $96-million contract, even though there were still concerns about whether or not the QB could play post-surgery.
The rest, as they say, his history. What would follow was arguably the greatest four-year stretch in the history of the franchise.
From 2012-15, the Broncos amassed a 50-14 record. They won the AFC West four times, earned the No. 1 seed in the conference on three occasions, advanced to two Super Bowls and won a Lombardi Trophy.
Along the way, Manning added to his list of accolades. He was the 2012 NFL Comeback Player of the Year and earned a fifth MVP award in 2013. That season, the quarterback broke almost every single-season passing record, throwing for 5,477 yards and 55 touchdowns, while guiding the greatest offense the league had ever seen.
Things couldn’t have worked out better for both parties. The Broncos got back to their winning ways, re-establishing the team as a marquee franchise. And Manning found a place where he could cement his legacy, writing a second act to his storybook career.
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THE COUNTDOWN
30: Ubaldo Jimenez has a magical season
29: Todd Helton get enshrined in Cooperstown
28: Valeri Nichushkin goes missing in the postseason – twice!
27: The Avalanche win their second Stanley Cup
26: The Nuggets come back from two 3-1 deficits in the bubble
25: The seemingly never-ending Broncos ownership saga
24: Hurricane Josh hits the Mile High City
23: The Rockies trade Nolan Arenado to the Cardinals
22: The Nuggets reach the Western Conference Finals in 2009
21: John Elway gets enshrined in the Pro Football Hall of Fame
20: The Avalanche hoist third Stanley Cup in franchise history
19: The Avalanche acquire Patrick Roy from the Canadiens
18: The Broncos produce the greatest offensive season in NFL history
17: John Elway joins the Broncos front office to right the ship
16: The Avalanche win the Stanley Cup in 1996
15: The Broncos nearly decade-long quarterback carousel
14: The Avs-Red Wings rivalry turns into a bloodbath
13: The Broncos win back-to-back titles during historic season
12: The Broncos suffer one of the worst losses in franchise history
11: The Broncos part ways with head coach Mike Shanahan
10: The Nuggets trade away Carmelo Anthony in a blockbuster deal
9: Nikola Jokic finally wins a much-deserved MVP award
8: Coach Prime arrives in Boulder and resuscitates the Buffaloes
7: The Broncos make a blockbuster trade for Russell Wilson
6: The Broncos win Super Bowl 50 thanks to an all-time great defense
5: The Nuggets win the first NBA title in franchise history
4: Rocktober was a three-week run of near perfection
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Wanna hear more about this Mile High Milestone? Tune into “The Rundown” at noon or check out the show on YouTube to hear Richie Carni and a special guest take a walk down memory lane.
