Tom Brady is out of the NFL ‘for good’, but some players can’t forget what he meant for them. Now, Peyton Manning has shared a huge admission on how the former Patriots and Buccaneers quarterback made him stay in the AFC to play for the Denver Broncos.
Tom Brady and Bill Belichick built a dynasty that dominated the NFL for nearly 20 years, winning six Super Bowls with the New England Patriots and appearing unbeatable for almost everybody.
In that last part entered Peyton Manning. Even though he ended his career with a 6-11 record against Brady, he admitted Tom was the big reason why he signed with the Broncos after leaving the Colts.
Tom Brady, the big reason why Peyton Manning signed with the Broncos
Whenever Tom Brady hears the Manning last name, he must have nightmares, but definitely not for Peyton. He had a positive record against Eli’s older brother, which didn’t make the former Broncos and Colts player very happy.
But that rivalry is the main reason why Peyton decided to stay in the AFC in spite of having a losing record against Tom Brady. He wanted to win against him and he did it in their most important matchups: the 2013 and 2015 AFC Championship games.
“I never told anybody this, but Tom was a big reason why I decided to stay in the AFC after I left the Colts,” Manning said on Brady’s Let’s Gopodcast. “I easily could have gone to a couple of NFC teams, but I thought, ‘Nope, look I’ve played against Tom a bunch and the Patriots. And eventually, you’re going to have to play them at some point. Even if you go to the NFC and you make the Super Bowl, you’re probably going to play them.’
“And I said, ‘Let me at least try to earn it in the AFC, seeing them in the playoffs.’ I enjoyed those games. I enjoyed that rivalry. That was actually one of the reasons I decided to stay in the AFC in chapter two for me.”