Following his days with the Tennesee Volunteers, Peyton Manning rose to prominence with the Indianapolis Colts and Denver Broncos, establishing himself as one of the greatest quarterbacks in NFL history.
It didn’t take long before he made an impact in the league, breaking an NFL record for most touchdowns as a rookie. He thrived with the Colts until a neck injury made him leave the team. Still, that’s when his legacy with the Broncos started. He won two Super Bowl rings, one Super Bowl MVP, and five MVPs, and he hasn’t stopped working since his retirement in 2015.
According to Forbes, when he retired, he had a $15 million net worth, being part of the 30 best-paid athletes in the world. However, he has increased it to over $300 million thanks to his several deals with recognized companies like ESPN, Rebook, Sony, and his Papa John’s franchises. He is also, according to ClutchBet, one of the best Broncos players of all time, as you can see here: https://clutchbuzz.clutchbet.com/nfl/denver-broncos-players-all-time/
Peyton Manning has appeared on several forms of public media. He has been known to enjoy hosting—in 2017, he hosted the ESPY Awards and was part of the Monday Night Football broadcast with his segment, Manningcast. Last year, he hosted the Country American Music Awards and won the hearts of millions of viewers, as he will be doing again this year.
He worked with ESPN, hosting Peyton’s Places, a documentary series in which Manning follows different football personalities and interviews them. The show started as part of the NFL’s 100th anniversary celebration and became a fan favorite, getting three seasons. It eventually had non-related guests like David Letterman and Bill Clinton.
His performance on the series opened him to host Monday Night Football with Peyton and Eli, which increased the rating of Monday Night Football since it started in 2022. Still, his hosting career doesn’t end there. He also worked in Capital One College Bowl, a game show where college students are quizzed on different trivia topics for the opportunity to win a $1 million scholarship.
A New Career
He has dived into productions, thanks to his company Omaha Productions, dedicated to creating entertainment content related to football. The project started in 2020, and the following year debuted Manningcast, which he hosts along with his brother, Eli Manning, who is also a quarterback. The broadcast also has shows and podcasts about soccer, baseball, basketball, tennis, and hockey.
The company was named in honor of Manning’s signature call, “Omaha, Omaha!” It has been growing since, especially after last year, when they partnered with the NFL and Netflix to create Quarterback.
Manning also experimented with cinema. Though his actual voicing career started in 2009 when he appeared on The Simpsons as himself, he took a voiceover job to give life to Guapo in the 2017 animated movie Ferdinand.
In 2022, he invested in Kitchen United, a ghost kitchen and restaurant tech company based in Pasadena with several franchises across America. Manning, along with other tycoons, participated in the Series C investment.
On the other hand, Manning is known to be a philanthropist. He’s actively working with his foundation, the Peyback Foundation, which he founded when he was still in the NFL and has helped hospitals, was a volunteer during the Hurricane Katrina tragedy, and gives scholarships to several colleges, such as Georgia Tech, the alma mater of his dear late friend Demaryius Thomas that abruptly died in 2021.
His work with the foundation allowed him to receive the Samuel S. Beard Award for Greatest Public Service in the Jefferson Awards.
He achieved one of his most significant accomplishments when he was invited into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2021. This was thanks to his many records during his football career, including being the first quarterback to lead different teams in the Super Bowl.
More recently, there were many rumors that he was about to buy the Denver Broncos team, as he had previously commented that he was always eyeing the team. ESPN later reported that he wouldn’t purchase the team, but he might receive shares and work as an advisor.
Still, nothing became concrete. Manning’s latest news is that he will become a professor at his alma mater, the University of Tennessee, teaching Communication and Information starting this fall semester. He is among the most beloved celebrities on his college campus; they even named scholarships in his honor.
Manning has established himself as a successful businessman and producer, and he’s going to stay quite busy for years to come, building on his legacy as one of the greatest athletes to ever walk the Earth.
Also, he’ll continue to mentor many young quarterbacks who enter the league, so his impact will be felt on the gridiron for decades.
