Quarterback Peyton Manning (C) poses with majority owner, president, and CEO Pat Bowlen (L) and executive vice president of football operations John Elway (R) during a news conference announcing Manning's contract with the Denver Broncos on March 20, 2012 in Englewood, Colorado. (Photo by Doug Pensinger/Getty Images)

Official press release courtesy of the Denver Broncos media department:

ENGLEWOOD, Colo. — The Denver Broncos have agreed to terms with four-time NFL Most Valuable Player, Super Bowl XLI MVP and 11-time Pro Bowl quarterback Peyton Manning, it was announced on Tuesday. He will be introduced at a press conference at 1 p.m. at the team’s training facility.

Manning, who spent his first 14 seasons with Indianapolis, ranks third in NFL history in regular-season passing completions (4,682), yards (54,828) and touchdowns (399). He has posted the fourth-most wins by a starting quarterback (141) in league history while leading the Colts to 11 seasons with double-digit victories. In 19 postseason games, he has completed 453-of-718 passes (63.1%) for 5,389 yards with 29 touchdowns and 19 interceptions (see below for extended list of achievements and honors).  Click here to read the rest of this entry »

The media in Denver waits for Manning. (Image courtesy of Lindsay Jones/Denver Post)

The Denver Broncos will introduce Peyton Manning as the next quarterback of the franchise at the team’s Dove Valley facility at approximately 1 p.m. (MT) today.  The press conference will be streamed on the team’s official website, DenverBroncos.com.

Chat about the conference LIVE in the comments below!

Broncos Vice President of Football Operations John Elway, Head Coach John Fox and Manning are all expected to address the media.  You can watch the press conference live by clicking here.  The announcement is expected to be approximately thirty minutes long.

The team may also announce the un-retiring of jersey No. 18 for Manning, as that is what he will be wearing this season.  Frank Tripucka, who was Denver’s first quarterback to wear the number, has consented to the team un-retiring the jersey for Manning.

Today is a big day for Broncos Country!  Watch the LIVE Stream here.

Peyton Manning's No. 18 orange Broncos jersey

After 49 years, Number 18 is returning to Denver.

Frank Tripucka, the last man to wear the jersey number for the Denver Broncos, has no problem with Peyton Manning taking the number out of retirement. The Broncos retired the jersey in 1963 when Tripucka, the team’s first quarterback, retired.

“I would be honored to have him wear it,” Tripucka told The Denver Post. “It’s been retired for 50 years. That’s long enough.”

This leaves Floyd Little‘s No. 44 and John Elway‘s No. 7 as the only jersey numbers to remain in retirement in Denver.

And while you may feel a rush to get your Manning jerseys ordered, Broncos fans, a cautious word to the wise — Nike is revamping all of the NFL’s team uniforms beginning in 2012. The new series is expected to be released in April. Wait a month before dropping $100 on your shiny new quarterback’s duds.

Your wittiest, most cleverest captions in the comments.

(Photo courtesy of Greg Trott/AP)

Last week’s winner after the jump.  Click here to read the rest of this entry »

(Image courtesy of ESPN)

It appears that Broncos quarterback Tim Tebow will be pushed aside (traded, actually) to make room for Peyton Manning in Denver.  Being replaced by one of the game’s greatest players is nothing to be ashamed of, but Tebow probably isn’t peachy-keen about it, either.

Broncos’ running back Willis McGahee said on Tuesday if the team had brought in Adrian Peterson “it would be a no brainer, he (Peterson) would be the guy.”  The Broncos bringing in Manning is not a knock against Tebow, per McGahee, it’s merely a transaction by the Broncos front office which they think can help the team win.

Tebow recently told friends that he was not surprised that the team brought in Manning, adding that he would like to return to Florida.  Click here to read the rest of this entry »

It’s official now, quarterback Peyton Manning has agreed to terms with the Denver Broncos on a five-year, $96 million deal, according to ESPN‘s Adam Schefter.  The contract will keep Manning in Denver through the 2017 season, if he chooses to play that long.

Per ESPN‘s Andrew Brandt, Manning will make $18 million this season and the team has an injury waiver in the contract in case Manning does not pass his physical next season.  Manning will make $40 million more from 2013-2014 and $19 million in 2015 and again in 2016.

The Broncos will hold a press conference to announce the signing of Manning at 3 p.m. (ET) this afternoon which will be streamed live on DenverBroncos.com (we will post a link when it becomes available).  The team sent out an email an hour ago “tentatively scheduling” the press conference for 3 p.m. (ET), so the time is subject to change.

With Manning now in Denver, Schefter says the three teams he expects to pursue Tim Tebow will be the Jacksonville Jaguars, Green Bay Packers and San Francisco 49ers.  The Broncos are expected to soon place Tebow on the trading block.

In other Broncos news, the team re-signed offensive guard Manny Ramirez on Tuesday.

The Denver Broncos on are the verge of signing free agent quarterback Peyton Manning.  This will likely mean that the team will now trade fellow quarterback Tim Tebow, which has caused somewhat of an outcry among Tebow Bronco fans.

We want to know your take on the situation.  Do you think Manning, 36, is too old and too much of a risk?  Or, do you think he is worth the risk and instantly makes the Broncos a Super Bowl contender?

Be sure to vote in the poll below and tell us your thoughts in the comments!

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First things first, highlights, of course…

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(AP Photo/Ed Reinke)

A week ago today, we speculated that the Broncos may bring back veteran receiver Brandon Stokley if the team landed Peyton Manning.  The next day, Stokley told 104.3 The Fan that he would sign with Denver if Manning asked him to do so.

Manning must have just asked him to because NFL Network‘s Jason La Canfora is reporting that Stokley is “likely to be signed” by the Broncos.  Stokley, 35, is familiar with Manning and could become Denver’s fourth wide receiver, as the team is currently slim at the position.

Stokley’s best season came in 2004 when he played with Manning in Indianapolis and caught 68 passes for 1,077 yards and 10 touchdowns.  With two Super Bowl rings, Stokley would bring experience to Denver’s young receiving corps.  Click here to read the rest of this entry »

One day after re-signing linebacker Joe Mays, the Denver Broncos agreed to terms with fellow linebacker Wesley Woodyard on Monday, per ESPN‘s Josian Anderson.  The deal is a two year contract which will keep Woodyard in Denver through the 2014 season.

All of Denver’s starting linebackers from last season are now under contract for the 2012 season.  In 2011, D.J. Williams started at “Will” (weak-side outside linebacker), Mays started at “Mike” (middle linebacker) and Von Miller was the “Sam” (strong-side outside linebacker).  Woodyard was a special teams captain and started in seven games early in the season while Williams was injured.

A 6-0, 229 pound Kentucky graduate, Woodyard joined the Broncos in 2008 as an undrafted free agent.  Woodyard, 25, has been a Team Captain in Denver every season since he entered the league and had a career year in 2011 when he recorded 97 tackles and forced two fumbles.

Woodyard is expected to have a rotational role on Denver’s 4-3 defense this season and he remains one of the team’s best special teams players.