Peyton Manning Reacts to Brother Eli Manning Retiring From NFL

Eli Manning has retired from the NFL after spending 16 seasons with the New York Giants. This means he gets to spend more time with his brother, former Indianapolis Colts and Denver Broncos quarterback, Peyton Manning. Speaking of Peyton, he recently was asked about Eli retiring and how proud of what his brother accomplished.

“I’m happy for Eli, because I know he’s at peace and he put a lot of time and thought into this decision,” Manning said in a 20-minute interview via DenverBroncos.com. “But I am sad, because I won’t get to see him play anymore. And after my dad and Dan Marino, Eli really was my favorite player. So I have to find a new one. But for really 19 years going back to his three years at Ole Miss, 16 years in the NFL, I have enjoyed watching him play, watching him compete, watching him grow into a man. It’s been a heck of a run.”

One of the biggest arguments when it comes to Eli is whether if he’s a Hall of Famer quarterback or not. Peyton, who will likely be inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2021, made it very clear that his brother should be in Canton, Ohio.

“To me, it’s the time to look back and reflect,” Peyton said. “Everybody else wants to look ahead and have this debate — and I understand it’s just the world we live in, but I know Eli doesn’t think like that, and I don’t think like that either. I certainly have my strong feelings and opinions on it, that when you’re the Super Bowl MVP twice against the greatest dynasty of all time — the New England Patriots [with] Tom Brady and Bill Belichick — and you join a list that includes Terry Bradshaw, Bart Starr, Tom Brady, Joe Montana, Eli Manning as the only [two-time] Super Bowl MVPs, that kind of — I don’t really know what that term ‘Drop the mic’ is, but I guess if there was one, if I had a mic … there really is no ‘Yeah, but’ after that.

“That kind of ends it. But if you want a ‘Yeah, but,’ he also started 220-plus consecutive games. He’s sixth or seventh all time in touchdowns. It wasn’t like he just played those two seasons. He also just answered the bell, played his butt off, won some huge games for his team. So, I have strong opinions on it, but I’m going to pull an Eli — I’m going to kind of live in the present right now and kind of look back a little bit and not look too far ahead and get too worried about it.”

Eli Manning is one of only 12 quarterbacks in NFL history to win multiple Super Bowls. And as Peyton mentioned, he’s one of only five players in NFL history to win the Super Bowl MVP award twice.