Peyton Manning will become the next quarterback of the Denver Broncos, barring a snag during intensified contract negotiations that have commenced under the instruction of the four-time MVP to his agent Tom Condon, according to multiple sources.
Once the Manning deal becomes official, Denver will try to trade Tim Tebow, according to sources.
Manning instructed Condon to negotiate the finite details of a contract that would conclude with him joining the Broncos after a frenzied but focused process that began when theIndianapolis Colts released him March 7.
A contract between the two sides is expected to be a formality. Broncos vice president of football operations John Elway and Manning first discussed the parameters of a five-year, $95 million contract during their March 9 meeting in Denver, the first time the former Indianapolis Colts quarterback visited a team during his free agency.
Elway then told Manning during the Friday, March 16 trip to Durham, N.C. — where the quarterback has done the majority of his training — that he wanted to finalize a contract “fair to both sides.” Neither side expects any hangups.
However, details such as guaranteed money, structure of the deal and contract language designed to protect the Broncos in the event of Manning’s inability to perform due to his prior neck surgeries all will be addressed in the contract, sources said.
Yet the Broncos have few concerns with Manning’s medical condition. He already passed the physical exam that a team of Broncos doctors administered during the visit to Durham, a development that Elway informed Manning of when he returned home to Denver that night.
Manning also passed physical exams by the San Francisco 49ers and Tennessee Titans but he has told all teams that he still has gains to achieve in terms of arm strength and endurance that are related to nerve regeneration due to his neck injury. Nevertheless, his throwing sessions observed by all three teams — combined with extensive video of previous workouts — was satisfactory enough for those teams to pursue the most celebrated available player since the NFL’s free agency era began in 1993.
