No longer Peyton's place

ENGLEWOOD, Colo. - Peyton Manning surveyed the landscape of his brilliant career and called one last audible. He's retiring a champion.

A month after Denver's triumph in Super Bowl 50, Manning informed John Elway he is following his lead and riding off into that orange sunset just like the Broncos' boss did 17 years ago after winning his second Super Bowl.

Just shy of 40, Manning will forgo $19 million and a 19th season in the NFL, where he served as both a throwback and a transformer during a glittering career bookmarked by an unprecedented five MVP awards and dozens of passing records.

"Peyton was a player that guys wanted to play with," Elway said. "That made us better as a team and I'm thrilled that we were able to win a championship in his final year."

The Broncos scheduled a news conference for 11 a.m. Monday.

Manning leaves the league he helped popularize to supersize status as its all-time leading passer and winningest starting quarterback, the only one to win Super Bowls with two franchises.

His first came in 2007 with the Indianapolis Colts, who drafted him No. 1 overall in 1998. The Colts gave up on him after a series of neck surgeries forced Manning to miss all of the 2011 season and left him without feeling in the fingertips of his right hand.

A rare superstar quarterback on the open market in 2012, Manning resettled in Denver, where, despite a right arm weakened by nerve damage, he went 50-15 with his fifth MVP award and two trips to the Super Bowl in four seasons.

"I get asked a lot about my legacy," Manning said before the Super Bowl. "For me, it's being a good teammate, having the respect of my teammates, having the respect of the coaches and players. That's important to me."

The 18th season for No. 18 was by far his most trying on the field. He had to adjust to new coach Gary Kubiak's run-based offense and to unrelenting health issues on his way to winning his second Super Bowl.

A torn ligament in his left foot hampered Manning all the way back to August. It led to his worst statistical season and sidelined him for six weeks before that fairy tale finish in Santa Clara, Calif., when his defense carried him across the finish line.

Manning walks away with his second NFL title after Denver's defense, with seven sacks and four takeaways, all but handed him the Lombardi Trophy in a 24-10 victory over the Carolina Panthers.

Manning finished in a tie with Brett Favre for most regular-season wins with 186. His victory in Super Bowl 50 was his 14th in the postseason, one more than Favre, making him the NFL's only 200-win quarterback.