Miles
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- Mar 18, 2019
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ENGLEWOOD, Colo. — Two former Broncos are now just one step away from achieving football's highest individual honor, as Peyton Manning and John Lynch were named Modern-Era finalists for the Pro Football Hall of Fame's Class of 2021 on Tuesday.
According to the Hall of Fame, the Class of 2021 will be selected during the week of Super Bowl LV. Typically, the Modern-Era finalists are debated among the 48-person Selection Committee on the Saturday before the Super Bowl, with rounds of voting narrowing the list of 15 down to 10 and then to five, at which point the Committee members will take a final yes-or-no vote. To be elected, the finalists must receive at least 80 percent yes votes.
This is Manning's first year of eligibility for the Hall of Fame, and he will almost assuredly be a first-ballot Hall of Famer. He would be the fifth former Bronco to be inducted in his first year of eligibility, following Champ Bailey (Class of 2019), John Elway (2004), Tony Dorsett (1994) and Willie Brown (1984).
During Manning's 18-year career, he helped revolutionize the game from the quarterback position as he tore up NFL record books with an aerial attack that few teams could stop. Before arriving in Denver in 2012, he made 11 Pro Bowls, was a five-time first-team All-Pro with four league MVP selections and won one Super Bowl with the Colts. His time in Indianapolis ended when they released him after he missed the 2011 season with a neck injury.
Manning picked up where he left off after the Broncos signed him as a free agent. In four years in Denver, he picked up three more Pro Bowl selections, two first-team All-Pro nods and another league MVP award. He also led the Broncos to two Super Bowl appearances, capping his career by helping lead the Broncos to a victory in Super Bowl 50.
With the Broncos, he set numerous league and franchise records, including the single-season marks in passing yards and passing touchdowns. Manning also retired as pro football's all-time leader in career touchdown passes, career passing yards and combined regular-season and postseason wins, though several of those career records have since been surpassed.