Both of Peyton Manning’s former NFL teams made blockbuster trades for quarterbacks this offseason. The Indianapolis Colts acquired Matt Ryan from the Atlanta Falcons, while the Denver Broncos landed Russell Wilson from the Seattle Seahawks.
So what does Manning think about the quarterbacks taking over at the spots he once occupied? During his annual Manning Passing Camp, he said that there will be high expectations for both quarterbacks.
“I mean, look, obviously when you play quarterback in the NFL there’s certainly expectations. I think Russell and Matt, they have high expectations for themselves,” Manning said at the annual ‘Manning Passing Camp’ on Friday. “They want to work together with the team, get on the same page and want to help the team win and do their part. So, I think both of them will handle that well.”
More specifically, he believes that Matt Ryan is in need of a second chapter and could really make waves with Frank Reich as his head coach.
“I talked to both of them kinda during the process and tried to be a resource as I try to be for all quarterbacks,” Manning said. “For Matt in particular, he kind of mentioned that Atlanta was looking for possibly a trade and he was asking about Indy. I just kind of really liked that match. I thought it would be great for Matt in this second chapter for him, and I thought it would be really good for the Colts, who I think are really close and have a lot of pieces and just could really use a veteran leader. He and Frank Reich have really hit it off.”
As for Russell Wilson, he believes that the Pro Bowl quarterback can bring the Broncos back to playoff contention.
“And the same with Russell, right? It’s a new chapter for him. Broncos fans and players are hungry — we’ve been in a little bit of a drought the past few years and it’s time to get the Broncos back to where they’re supposed to be.”
Which of the two Manning successors will have more success in 2022?