The Denver Broncos landed a franchise quarterback in 2012 when they signed superstar free agent Peyton Manning to a five-year, $96 million contract. Denver had its quarterback of the present, but the team also had to prepare for the future as Manning was 36 years old.
So the Broncos scouted QBs in that year’s class, including Wisconsin’s Russell Wilson. Denver even hosted Wilson on a pre-draft visit.
“It was my last visit and the Denver Broncos had just traded for Peyton Manning,” Wilson recalled during his introductory press conference on March 16. “I came into the locker room and there was one guy in a locker. One person. It was Peyton Manning, and he was looking at his playbook highlighting.”
Manning, of course, knew who Wilson was not just because the QB was a notable prospect but also because Wilson had attended the Manning Passing Academy in high school. Using his signature sense of humor, though, Manning had a line ready for Wilson.
“I walked up to him [and] about halfway before I got to him, he stood up and [said], ‘Don’t I know you from somewhere?’ He started laughing, shook my hand and said, ‘Listen man, I remember coaching you from way back when.’
“Those kinds of memories, it’s an honor. It’s a tradition [to join the Broncos]. It’s a place of excellence, and I think that’s the standard that I have to bring every day. That’s the only thing I know.”
Denver did not draft Wilson that year — the Broncos picked Brock Osweiler instead — but the team fixed its mistake 10 years later by acquiring Wilson via trade. Wilson will now aim to follow in Manning’s footsteps, hoping to win a Super Bowl with a second team.
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