Peyton Manning authored one of the greatest careers in NFL history, and he spent most of it as a member of the Indianapolis Colts. Indy should continue to remain thankful after Manning fell right into their laps in the 1998 NFL Draft, as he was one step away from taking his talents to New York.
Parcells was the coach of the New York Jets right after they earned the No. 1 pick in the 1997 Draft, their second consecutive season with the top pick. Even during his junior season at Tennessee, Manning was regarded as the top quarterback prospect in the land.
Due to either a fear of playing for the Jets or a chance to solidify himself as the No.1. pick in 1998, Manning decided to go back to Tennessee for his senior season. That decision sent ripples throughout the NFL that are still being felt to this day.
When Parcells was a guest on the ManningCast during the Buccaneers-Giants game, the Big Tuna confirmed that if Manning had declared in 1997, the Jets would’ve taken him with the No. 1 pick. If that happened, the trajectories of these two respective franchises would’ve been completely reversed.
An all-time NFL what-if: Bill Parcels said that he would have drafted Peyton Manning to the Jets in 1997 had the QB declared early. https://t.co/fbhp0W1dkx
— Jets Wire (@TheJetsWire) November 24, 2021
The Indianapolis Colts got lucky when they picked Peyton Manning.
With no other quarterback prospects worthy of taking that high (No. 26 pick Jim Druckenmiller threw for just 239 yards in the NFL, Jake Plummer wasn’t taken until the second round), the Jets decided to trade out of the pick. In typical Jets fashion, the decision came back to bite them.
The Jets traded the No. 1 pick away to the Rams, who used it to select a future Hall of Fame tackle in Orlando Pace. The No. 6 pick was also traded away to the Buccaneers, who flipped that selection to Seattle. The Seahawks took another Hall of Famer in Walter Jones.
James Farrior was an elite linebacker for a very long time, but most of his stats came with Pittsburgh rather than the Jets. Not only did Manning deny the Jets a franchise quarterback, but their backup plan after missing out on him cost them two Hall of Fame linemen.
Parcells is at least able to look back on this incident and laugh now. For all of the good things Manning did with the Colts, his 28 rookie interceptions live in infamy. Parcells quipped that he may not have been able to help Peyton reduce that number, as he would’ve cut his throat after his 15th pick of the season.
On the Manning-cast, Eli gets right to the point with guest Bill Parcells: Peyton bailing on Bill Parcells Jets in 1998 to go back to Tennesee.
— Ralph Vacchiano (@RalphVacchiano) November 23, 2021
Eli asks how Bill would've dealt with Peyton's 28 INTs as a rookie:
"I would've probably cut my throat at No. 15," Parcells said.
While the Jets soldier on in their endless search for a franchise quarterback, Peyton Manning helped write over a decade of unforgettable memories with the Colts. Sorry, Bill!
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