Peyton Manning knows what a Super Bowl team looks like.
He arrived at the Paramount Theater downtown Wednesday evening, after all, to celebrate the Broncos’ championship 2015 team and hosted a meet and greet flanked by the Lombardi Trophy.
There will be no such celebrations for the 2025 Broncos, naturally, because they came up four points short of playing in the Super Bowl back in January.
Manning, though, says Sean Payton’s team should be a contender again this fall.
“I think this team has it figured out,” Manning said before hosting his Night of Champions event celebrating the Super Bowl 50 champs. “Sean knows what they need to do. I think they’ve also got to have a bunch of unselfish guys who all can look at themselves in the mirror and say, ‘what can I do to get better this offseason and help the team?’ I think itap pretty unique from that standpoint. Itap not by accident.
“Sean and (general manager George Paton) have drafted and signed guys that are unselfish. That are team-oriented. And thatap the way you’ve got to have it in order to win.”
Ten years after Manning and the Broncos defeated New England in the AFC Championship Game, the Broncos fell, 10-7, at home. They did so, of course, without Bo Nix, who fractured his ankle in overtime of the team’s 33-30 Divisional round win over Buffalo.
Manning spent time with Nix recently at Augusta National and had a prediction about Nix’s third pro season.
“I saw him down at The Masters last week and he looked good, sounds good — was upbeat and looking forward to getting started,” Manning said. “I think (the injury) is something only he can speak to because to play so well in that game, to beat the Buffalo Bills and then find out you’re not going to play the next week, I can’t speak for him but I know he was disappointed. He’s a competitive guy and he’s a team guy. He wants to be out there. His teammates are out there for him and he wants to answer the bell for them. I’m sure that was the hardest part.
“That’ll push him even harder and make him even hungrier this year.”
Manning may not have experienced exactly what Nix did, but over his Hall of Fame career he tasted both the highs of winning titles and also the sting of coming up just short. In addition to the pair of rings, Manning lost in the Super Bowl two other times — 2009 with Indianapolis and 2013 in Denver.
“I’ve always said, which would you rather do? Have your heart ripped out by the Patriots in the AFC Championship or win your last game of the regular season and finish 7-10 and be so far removed, but it doesn’t hurt quite as much,” Manning said. “It doesn’t sting as much. I’d rather have my heart ripped out because that means you’re knocking on the door. I’m sure Bo would tell you that and Courtland (Sutton) and all the guys that were disappointed that they got so close. It makes you hungrier for the next year, it means you’re doing something right.
“I know Sean and that bunch will rebound and pick up where they left off and I think be even better.”
Denver’s next chance to improve its roster is this weekend in the draft. The Broncos aren’t on the clock until Friday because they traded their first-rounder as part of a package for Jaylen Waddle, but Manning is interested all the same.
“Certainly curious about who the Broncos are going to draft,” he said. “I know we don’t have a (first-rounder) because of Jaylen Waddle. What a great pick-up that was.”
