So...what happened?
Here are Manning's 2014 stats #4 QB in the NFL 39 TD/4700 yards...Horseface asks him to take a 20% paycut.
Then 2015...the year they started testing for HGH. That paycut had some serious crystalball level foresight...39 TDs reduced to 9 TDs in one off-season. 4th best to second worst...quite the immediate fall from grace. It wast the biggest one season QB collapse in NFL history...
Saw this article...
"That’s right, the same guy who has won five NFL MVP awards and thrown more touchdown passes than any other quarterback in league history had his 2015 salary cut by $4 million by the same team he led to an AFC Championship in 2013.
At first, most people around the league believed that Manning was restructuring his contract with the Broncos to give the team more salary cap flexibility. In actuality, the team was sending the very clear message that they no longer see Manning as one of the top-five quarterbacks in the league."
Wonder why they "no longer see him as a top 5 QB" when he was just the 4th best...39TD/4700 yards...oh yeah...that HGH testing thing taking effect in the upcoming year.