Peyton Manning is one of the NFL’s greatest quarterbacks of all time, and he also had an ingenious idea to bring an All Pro to his team.
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The legendary quarterback enjoyed a career people dream of having. He retired atop the passing game, finishing his career ranked first in passing yards in NFL history. Brady and Brees overtook several of his records, but they definitely can’t compete with Manning’s 2013 season.
That season is the best season by any quarterback ever. In 2013, he threw for an NFL record 5,477 yards and 55 touchdowns, leading the greatest offense in history.
All in all, Manning threw for 71,940 yards, third all time, and 539 touchdowns, third all time. To add on, Manning retired with two Super Bowl victories under his belt.
In his career, Manning earned $171.7 million with the Colts and made an additional $77 million with the Broncos making for a total career earning of $248.73 million. Manning has a net worth of $250 million.
Peyton Manning desperately wanted Joe Thomas on his team
Joe Thomas is one of the NFL’s greatest offensive tackles. He played in the NFL from 2007 to 2017 with the Cleveland Browns. He made the Pro Bowl 10 out of his 11 years, and he was first team All Pro six times, All Pro second team twice, and he’s eligible for the NFL Hall of Fame. Joe Thomas has a net worth of $48 million.
Manning saw Thomas’ greatness, and he knew he would be a huge boost to his team. Ahead of the 2015 trade deadline, Manning threw everything he had into getting Thomas.
Thomas got a phone call from Manning which went very interestingly.
“I picked it up and (Manning is) like, we were shooting the breeze, ‘Hey man, this is Peyton. As you know Ryan Clady got hurt, and we need a left tackle. Do you want to win a Super Bowl with me?’” Thomas recalled. “And I’m like, ‘That sounds really fun,’ and I don’t think anybody tells Peyton Manning ‘No,’ but I’m like, ‘I really like Cleveland.’”
“(Manning is) like, ‘Alright, here’s the game plan. Go into your GM’s office when he’s not there, pull your pants down and take a s**t on his desk. Then they can’t do anything but trade you, and then you can come win a Super Bowl with me.’”
Well, that’s one way to go about it. However, Thomas was adamant he didn’t want to leave Cleveland and had to politely decline the Hall of Famer.
“Peyton, I appreciate your humor as always. I appreciate that you want me,” Thomas jokingly said. “That really gives me a lot of warm and fuzzies, but I’m not gonna be able to poop on my GM’s desk.”
Manning would have definitely benefited from Thomas’ ability, but alas, it wasn’t meant to be. If Thomas actually tried Manning’s strategy, that would’ve been one heck of a story to tell.
