Peyton Manning Says He Doesn't Need to be the Highest Paid Player
Apparently Peyton Manning is finally tired of everybody calling him "greedy." Manning called up Mike Chappell Friday to clear the air:
"While I appreciate Jim Irsay offering to make me the highest-paid player, I told him I'd rather he save that money and keep whoever it is . . . Joe Addai, Charlie Johnson -- whoever that may be."
This is nice to see from Manning, inserting himself into the negotiations.What I take from this is that Manning is very concerned about certain teammates' resigning this offseason. Especially with some young players being important in the pass protection this year (Costanzo, Ijalana, Jeff Linkenbach, Delone Carter), it's really important that Manning has one of the best pass protecting running backs in the league as a safety valve. Johnson also has great value, not only as a starting guard, but as a "plug and play" offensive lineman who can take over at tackle if Costanzo, Ijalana, or Linkenbach don't pan out well early. There are several other players who must still be resigned as well such as Mookie Johnson, Dan Muir, and Eric Foster. Then the Colts can look into external free agents. If the Colts could sign a veteran defensive tackle to solidify their rotation, they would be in pretty good shape.
