Give Peyton Manning credit for transparency.
In an interview with The Denver Post, he downplayed his recent performances in throwing sessions for NFL teams and wanted to ensure the Broncos were both comfortable with his physical progress and financially insured against future setbacks to his neck and throwing arm before he signed his five-year, $96 million contract in Denver on Tuesday.
"John said it was great," Manning said of his workout at Duke University last Friday. "It wasn't great throwing. It's not supposed to be great because I'm not where I want to be. I just said: 'Here it is, guys. If you're not interested, you're not hurting my feelings. You've got to tell me.' It bothers me that I don't feel the way I want to feel.
"I have a lot of work to do. I'm not where I need to be."
Manning provided each of his suitors a disc containing his full medical history. He'll make $18 million in 2012 (less than 70% of what he got from the Colts while sidelined in 2011) and $20 million each of the following two years, but the Broncos are off the hook financially if his neck problems resurface and prevent him from playing.
"I'll say this, Peyton was great about giving us protection against his neck," VP of football operations John Elway said.
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Manning said Tuesday that he planned to remain in Colorado for the remainder of the week to continue his rehabilitation with the Broncos training staff.
"They've got to be protected," Manning said. "That's why the whole medical -- I was as open a book as I could be. I told them exactly how I feel, what I was working on. They have to know everything to make their decision.
"Even (Tuesday), at the last minute, I said, 'John, put (the contract) the way you want it.' He and I talked about that from the get-go, on that first visit. You don't want to start off on a bad foot. I kind of argued with them a little bit, on their side. Nobody believes that when you say that. But it's got to be what they're comfortable with."
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