Peyton Manning Is Just Entering His Prime Now, Actually

Amy Sussman//Getty Images8 min readPeyton Manning is trying to describe his first car to me. It was a Jeep Wagoneer, for one, but there was something weird and somewhat lethal about it. “Um, Brady, like, the back windshield ... I’m trying to describe it,” Manning starts, unsure. “Like the washer fluid that you would use to wash your back windshield?”Go on, Peyton.“On this Jeep Wagoneer, it had a little tube. You could disconnect the tube, and when you hit the washer-fluid button, it would spray the car behind you. It was like a little hose.”And how did the middle Manning brother—known prankster, goofball, and ballbuster—use this little hose? Take a wild guess.“I will say, I used to drive around with my friends and spray random people in cars. It was a little bit of a weapon, if you will, on the car.”The Hall of Fame quarterback and I are talking on the phone about old cars because his History Channel docuseries, The Mega-Brands That Built America, is about to premiere an episode that details the origins of Jeep. The series, which is produced under his Omaha Productions banner and sees him cameo as a very enthusiastic talking head, will run on Sundays throughout the summer. It’ll soon go down a few more hilariously American rabbit holes: game shows, the PC, and underwear. “My favorite part about this show is how much you can learn,” Manning says. “I make my kids watch it. It speaks to all audiences. I have different people that have reached out and said how much they enjoyed the show. So it’s fun for me to see this different range of adults to children that have enjoyed watching this show.”If you’re surprised that the former Colts and Broncos quarterback—and face of a billion-odd commercials (CUT THAT MEAT!)—is behind a History Channel docuseries, then you probably don’t know much about Omaha Productions. Founded by Manning in 2020, Omaha is also behind the Glen Powell–starring Chad Powers and the riotous Monday Night Football alternate broadcast the ManningCast (starring, well, Peyton and Eli Manning). While many a former athlete scrambled to found a booze brand or crusty steakhouse postretirement, Manning has built a media empire in his image.Below, Manning dives down a rabbit hole of his own: white-whale ManningCast guests, whether Glen Powell can actually throw a believable spiral, and why his dad, the legendary Saints quarterback Archie Manning, still has Patrick Mahomes in his contact list—but not under “Patrick Mahomes.”Patrick Smith//Getty Images“I felt fortunate I got to retire on my terms and my last game was for a Super Bowl,” Manning says, referring to his 2016 ring with the Denver Broncos.ESQUIRE: I have one note on your History Channel show. You could be starring in its historical reenactments—I was half-expecting you to show up as Henry Ford II.PEYTON MANNING: [Laughs.] Yeah, exactly. Maybe get Eli. Especially the competition ones, right? Jeep versus Ford. Maybe he and I go at it a little bit. That’s a good idea.It’d be like Larry David’s new show, where he shows up throughout history.That’s a good show.You’ve named David as one of your ManningCast white whales. Are you feeling good about crossing anyone off your wish list next season?You know, Larry takes you to the altar every offseason and gives you the Yeah, I’ll consider it. I actually texted him about his current show and said I’ve enjoyed watching it. And he said, “Thanks. I guess I’ll have to go watch Quarterback now,” since I paid him a compliment. But what I’d really like for him is to say, “Hey, I’ll be on the ManningCast.”So look, there’s certain people who you’re just going to try every year because nobody’s just giving you an all-out flat no. Reese Witherspoon, I’m telling you, she is—She’d be a great one.But she wants to do a Titans game, which makes sense, right? She lives in Nashville and that’s her team. We look for the authentic connection. I still think my favorite guest last year was Heidi Gardner. She’s a Chiefs fan who was on the show when Mahomes threw an interception going into the 1 yard line. As fans, there’s nothing worse, right? You’re about to score. But to watch her live reaction on TV, that’s what it’s about.Bradley Cooper, Larry David, and Reese are still our three white whales. Now’s the time where we kind of put together our wish list for this season. Hopefully we have another good year of guests.Bradley owes you one after acting in his movie Is This Thing On?I kind of agree. Anything you want to write in this article to kind of—I got you.I’m not afraid to beg. You talk about an authentic, die-hard, passionate Eagles fan. The challenge for him is if he were to do it, there’s a good chance he’ll be at the game, right? Which is cool. Obviously I don’t want to take him away from the game, but to find a quiet spot in the suite or a room in there.History ChannelManning’s History Channel docuseries, The Mega-Brands That Built America—which is produced under his Omaha Productions banner and sees him cameo as a very enthusiastic talking head—will run on Sundays throughout the summer.Omaha’s umbrella is big: Chad Powers, the Netflix documentaries, podcasts, the History Channel show. Is there anything you’ve wanted to do under Omaha—or even just as Peyton Manning—that you haven’t done yet?Not necessarily, because a lot of the things that we’re doing now, I didn’t have any idea that we’d be able to do anything like that. We started out just with the Monday-night show, which was obviously a little more in my comfort zone. What I’ve learned about this business is that it is a grind. It’s a game of patience ... but we have grown. The fact that Chad Powers is a show with Glen Powell, based on that skit Eli did for Eli’s Places, is amazing to me.It’s been ten years since you retired from the NFL. What surprised you about retirement?You know, I really don’t use that word as much. Second chapter is the word I use, because it was important to me to stay active. I wanted my kids to see me going to work every day. Maybe they don’t have a one-word job description, but that was important to me. And a lot of the things that I learned in playing in the NFL have carried over to this second chapter. The Omaha team is a fun team to be a part of. Been a part of several philanthropy teams. I’m still connected with the University of Tennessee, the Colts, and the Broncos.I had no idea what I was going to do when I finished playing. I was very focused on my current job, and I was always envious of the guys who knew what they wanted to do when they finished playing. Coach Tony Dungy gave me some good advice. He said, “Try to figure out what you don’t want to do.”I’m not sure anything really exists out there like playing in the NFL. I’m biased. The sooner you realize that there’s nothing quite like that out there, the more you can be satisfied with whatever it is that you’re doing in this second chapter and not trying to chase that same rush that playing football gives you.I’m not sure anything really exists out there like playing in the NFL. I’m biased.Was there ever a moment during your retirement when you felt like you could have jumped back into the NFL in a pinch, or were you ever asked to do that?No, I was not. A lot of players in the NFL don’t get to retire. They are retired by the NFL. You know, people just stop calling, and injuries can play a role in that. So it can be sudden and abrupt. But I felt fortunate I got to retire on my terms, and my last game was for a Super Bowl. But no, I haven’t had those urges or desires by any means.It does feel like you’ve done it all your way. Even Chad Powers has your brand of comedy. You’re not out there doing a tequila brand.I mean, Chad Powers has a great a comeback redemption story. Obviously, getting Glen Powell. You talk about throwing a touchdown. Oh my God. That’s ten touchdowns in the first half. The fact that he honored his commitment to the show—after the commitment, he became the biggest star. But the next thing you know, he hires a quarterbacks coach and he’s sending videos to me and Eli. Hey, tell me about pre-snap movements and cadences. That tells me he was all in.I do really enjoy, Brady, if I had to tell you, the shows or the projects that I can be a part of but I’m not in. The shows that I’m a part of via a phone call, or watching a rough draft and saying, “Hey, maybe we ought to add whatever.” Cheesy football analogy, be the offensive coordinator in the press box but not necessarily the quarterback. I’ve never had a chance to really do anything like that before, so I’ve really enjoyed that a lot.ESPNWho will show up on the ManningCast this season? If Peyton Manning has his way: Larry David. “Larry takes you to the altar every offseason and gives you the Yeah, I’ll consider it,” Manning says.If Glen Powell is sending you videos of his drop-back, you’re doing something right.A good sports movie, I’m watching very hard. Is he really hitting that baseball? Is he really pitching? Where’s the stunt double? You got to get the on-the-field part right for people to watch it. We appreciate Glen going all in.Is your honest assessment, quarterback-wise, that Glen is pretty believable?Yeah. Glen’s a good athlete. Eli gives him a hard time about the throwing motion that he displayed in Top Gun: Maverick. Glen said he had too much baby oil on his hands. So Eli and I gave him a pass on that.Congrats on 30 years of the Manning Passing Academy, by the way.Hey, thank you. Thank you.Even beyond football, like, what are you noticing about young people today? How are they different from what you saw five, ten years ago at the camp?It’s funny. It’s a twofold camp. It’s a high school camp at its core, helping entering eighth graders to entering twelfth-grade quarterbacks and receivers be better high school players. And then the college players come down and serve as counselors. Eli and I help them, in return, in between practices. But with the NIL coming into play, we were concerned: Hey, are these college players going to have time to come? Are they going to expect payment? And we just have not seen that. So that’s been refreshing.My dad still texts these college players directly and invites them to come as counselors, and they still get back to him. My dad still has to this day—Patrick Mahomes is in my dad’s phone as “Texas Tech Quarterback 2016.” And there’s something about that. It’s fun for my dad to reach out to these college players. And for the high school kids, look, it’s hotter than fire in Louisiana.Oh, yeah.And you don’t hear one kid complain about it being hot. These kids truly love football. When I was playing football, it was the best thing because it was a month before training camp and it was a reminder of why we love football. Because it is hot out there, and the kids practice three times a day. In between practice, we tell them, “Hey, go back and take a nap.” They’re out there throwing in front of the dorm still because they want more. The answer to your question is that a lot of things are the same from 30 years ago. It’s good to have things that are still pure and true and haven’t changed.