Peyton Manning may not need the money like most average Americans, but he’s going to earn a ton of it if he can lead the Denver Broncos to a Super Bowl championship this year.
Alex Marvez of FOX Sports pointed out Thursday morning that Manning will earn an extra $2 million if the Broncos make it to the Super Bowl and another $2 million if they win it.
John Elway set up this contract with these incentives in mind, and Manning agreed on it, because both want the same thing. The money is just the sweetener on top of the actual prize, which would be to build the legacies of both men with another Lombardi Trophy brought home to Denver.
Of course, unless there is something in the contract that stipulates otherwise, one would assume Manning would earn this money even if Brock Osweiler ends up doing the heavy lifting. However, at this time it’s Manning’s show once again with the Broncos offense, and unless injuries cause him to lose that spot he’s not giving it back up again.
The 18-year veteran missed the second half of the season dealing with a painful foot injury but returned in fine fashion during the team’s Week 17 contest against the San Diego Chargers. Down 13-7 when he entered the game, Manning rallied the troops and led the Broncos on a 20-7 run to finish out the game, which earned Denver the No. 1 seed in the AFC.
Now all other teams must win in the mile high city to advance in the postseason tournament, which won’t be easy. And perhaps his late-season heroics will translate to a glorious ride off into the sunset on a white Bronco, with an extra set of moneybags in tow.
The Pittsburgh Steelers will do everything in their power this Sunday to keep that from happening when they travel to Denver to take on the Broncos in the divisional round.