The Broncos gave Peyton Manning time to consider his future, and the quarterback will continue to take it.
After receiving the Bart Starr Award at a breakfast in Phoenix on Friday, Manning said he hasn't decided whether to return for a fourth Broncos season and 18th in the NFL, although he doesn't want to dither.
"I'm not interested in making this a lingering thing; I'd like to make a decision soon," Manning said Friday morning. "At the same time, both Coach [Gary Kubiak] and [President/CEO] Joe [Ellis] and [Executive Vice President/General Manager] John [Elway] have instructed me to take some time, so I'm kind of following their orders."
Manning has time, but not an unlimited quantity of it. If he is still on the roster March 9, his salary becomes guaranteed.
"They are not in a rush to have an answer. Although, like I said, I don't see this thing lingering continuing for a long time," Manning said. "I'm not into anything dramatic. But I do kind of follow in their order to take some time and gather some information to continue kind of an overall assessment and hopefully that leads me to answer. Hopefully pretty quickly.”
Manning added he met with Kubiak this week, but league rules prohibit discussion about schemes and installation, limiting the scope of the chat to getting-to-know-you conversation.