Peyton Manning is a Bronco for life. 

The soon-to-be Hall of Famer may have only spent the last four seasons of his 17-year career with the Broncos, but having lived in Denver since his retirement in 2015-2016, Manning has remained one of the organization’s biggest supporters.

“Denver took a chance on me and I’ll never forget it,” Manning said Wednesday during a virtual press conference hosted by the Pro Football Hall of Fame. Manning will be inducted into the Hall of Fame Aug. 8. “It ended up being a great place to go.” 

Since retiring, Manning has studied film with current quarterback Drew Lock, been chosen as a member of the organization’s Ring of Fame, played a role in several viral videos for the team’s social media accounts, and even threw out the first pitch at the MLB All-Star game Tuesday night at Coors Field as a “local resident” —  the pitch was less than stellar and in the dirt, with Manning explaining that he thought he had an “0-2 count and a throwaway pitch.” 

Truly an unhittable pitch! 🤣 https://t.co/wrGodJzemx

— Denver Broncos (@Broncos) July 14, 2021

His involvement with the organization and the city begs the question: would Manning be interested in a front-office role similar to John Elway’s, president of football operations? Or maybe becoming a part-owner of the team? 

The latter could be a real possibility soon, as the Broncos’ future ownership is currently up in the air with the Pat Bowlen trial — between the late owners’ trustees and two of his daughters — recently being “stayed.” This means the two sides may have reached a settlement, which could in turn mean the team going up for sale.

While Manning likely doesn’t have the several billion dollars it would cost to buy the team, it would make sense if he wanted to own a piece of it. And he didn’t rule that out Wednesday. 

“Well, certainly living in Denver, very much a Broncos ambassador, fan, season-ticket holder, been to every game the past five years since I retired and fans were allowed to go to — I’m certainly as interested in what’s going to happen (with ownership) as anybody because I care about it,” Manning said. “Just like I care about the Indianapolis Colts, University of Tennessee, you name it. As I’ve told you before, I think I’ve sort of gone on a year-to-year basis in this second chapter. ‘Hey, I’m going to try and do this this year.’ I’m not trying to really go past that very much because you try different things and maybe you like it, maybe you don’t. 

“Look, being a part of the game is important to me… I’ll always be a part of the Colts and the Broncos organizations in some way. But obviously, I’m interested in what’s going to happen and I haven’t said no to anything officially forever, right? I’ve just kind of said no to some things each year. And next year, maybe things change.

“Who knows what will happen in that, but it’s certainly going to be a part of my life forever, in my opinion.”

Manning went on to share why he joined the Broncos in 2012 after his neck injury, saying it was an easy decision. It obviously turned out well for both sides, with Manning winning his fifth MVP in 2013 and his second Super Bowl in 2015. 

“Denver, boy, they just welcomed me with open arms,” Manning said. “They were the only team that really understood what I was going through emotionally, physically. And I think a lot of that was Elway.”

And the decision to stay in Denver after football was just as easy. So while he may or may not be the next owner or president of football operations for the Broncos, you can expect Manning to be in the Mile High City for the long haul. 

“I’ll always be indebted to Denver,” Manning said. “You can only live in one place and Denver’s been a great place to live.”