ENGLEWOOD, Colo. — New ownership could lead to an old legend returning to the Broncos.
The Walton-Penner group has discussed an advisory role with Peyton Manning, according to an ESPN report. Manning has kept his eye on the franchise since retiring following winning Super Bowl 50. He lives in Denver, attends the games and admits he cares about how the team does.
Despite speculation, Manning was never officially connected to one of the final four bidding groups for the Broncos. Rob Walton, Greg Penner and Carrie Penner reached a purchase agreement for the Broncos on Tuesday for $4.65 billion, while adding Mellody Hobson to their group.
For Manning, an advisory role with open-ended possibilities like a potential ownership stake in the future could make sense. He currently lives a full life of coaching his children in sports, traveling, performing speaking engagements and hosting the ManningCast on ESPN. He also owns Omaha Productions, which Thursday entered into a multi-year partnership with Caesars Entertainment that will feature an audio network and a new digital series.
When Manning, 46, was inducted into the Hall of Fame last August, he talked about preserving football's future, sounding like a commissioner or ambassador.
"The audience here tonight is made up of die-hard fans who feel football deep in your bones. Now, we may have ignited the fire, but you, you have fanned the flames. Inevitably, those flames will be whipped by the winds of change, but they don't need to smolder," Manning said on the Canton stage. "The future of this game is ours to shape."
Manning has remained tethered to the Broncos franchise since his iconic exit. He has starred in social media skits for the franchise, helped current players and attended practices and games. The Broncos Ring of Famer also has a strong relationship with the Kroenke Family that owns and operates the Colorado Avalanche and Denver Nuggets, and is a regular at their games. Stan Kroenke is married to Ann Walton, who is Rob Walton's cousin.
As it stands, Hobson is the only member of the ownership group not directly connected to Walmart money. Hobson, married to legendary filmmaker George Lucas, is the co-CEO of Chicago-bases Ariel Investments and also chairs Starbucks Corp's board of directors and sits on the board of financial services giant JP Morgan Chase.
