If Peyton Manning is to be a future owner of the Broncos, it would be news to him.
The ex-Denver QB, speaking during his Ring of Fame pillar unveiling Sunday outside Empower Field, said the prospect of buying the Broncos “is not really on my radar.”
“I haven’t had any serious conversations with anyone (about buying the team),” Manning said. “Certainly there’s some people who have called me and said, ‘Hey, what do you think’s going to happen with the Broncos? Are you going to try to own the team?’ But I keep looking for that $3 billion in my pocket, and I can’t find it. I think it’s in a hidden account somewhere.”
In July, President/CEO Joe Ellis said there would be a transition in ownership after the season, with the hope that the Broncos would have an owner in place by kickoff of 2022. The Broncos, valued at $3.2 billion by Forbes this summer, are expected to shatter the NFL-record $2.275 billion paid by David Tepper for the Carolina Panthers in 2018.
Manning, who still lives in Denver with his family, said he’s as interested as the fans are in who buys the team from the Pat Bowlen Trust. But he also said his gig calling the “ManningCast” alongside brother Eli on Monday Night Football, and the chance to spend ample time with his family, would deter his interest if the chance to buy the Broncos came along.
“I care because I live here,” Manning said. “I come to the games and I want to know what’s going to happen like everybody else. But I have no relationship or agreement with anybody (to buy the team), and even if I am offered an opportunity, I haven’t decided if I would even do it. I actually like what I’m doing now.”