Peyton Manning Rumors: Breaking Down Tennessee Titans' Contract for Life Offer

Peyton Manning is one of the most unprecedented free agents in the history of the National Football League, and as his saga unfolds the league could well be headed into uncharted territory. Tennessee Titans owner Bud Adams reportedly offered a "contract for life" to the four-time MVP.

As Pro Football Talk reports, the contract is in theory possible, but the potential Pandora's Box it could open in the NFL almost certainly has commissioner Roger Goodell secretly praying that Manning chooses any team but the Titans as his new home.

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Per a source with knowledge of the league’s procedures, Manning and the Titans would be required to sign two contracts:  one for the work as player, and one for the job as a non-player.  The second job would have to be a “real job,” and the wages for the second job would have to represent fair market value.  Manning would have to actually perform the duties of the job after his playing career ends.

Also, the entire arrangement would require league approval.

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This kind of pact could create the sort of the possibilities for salary cap manipulation that makes it hard to believe that Daniel Snyder didn't think of it first, and that's what's giving Goodell heartburn and either freaking out or inspiring front offices across the league, depending on the franchise.

The NFL is trying to guarantee that the Titans (or any future team) don't create grossly overpaid front office jobs, where retired stars could garner millions of backloaded dollars in jobs such as "assistant general scouting consultant to the assistant general manger's assistant," since that money wouldn't count against the salary cap.

Or treacherous teams could potentially offer actual front office jobs to these players, with the caveat that a rather liberal attendance policy would require the new assistant general manager to show up for work twice a season.

The rent on an empty office is chicken feed compared to the millions in revenue that could be generated by a player like Manning in Nashville, especially if the team could add other components by effectively increasing this year's cap with a no-show job down the road.

The third of a potentially endless array of possibilities is that the Washington Redskins (I still can't believe Snyder didn't think of this first) could hire a new assistant general manager who even occasionally appeared at the office, but who did 37 more appearances on "Around the Horn" each year than they made personnel decisions, all while raking in $11 million in tasty backload that doesn't count against the salary cap.

Get where I'm going here?

Granted, if a team were to be caught blatantly flaunting the salary cap in this fashion (like the Redskins were to a fashion earlier this week...corruption in D.C., who knew?) the penalties would be harsh beyond comprehension, as Washington can well attest to after having their salary cap room for the next two seasons gutted a day before free agency was set to begin.

Proving that sort of violation could be nearly impossible to prove; however, and were this practice to gain any traction enforcing the rules it would inspire could cost the National Football League millions annually just in enforcement.

In case you haven't been keeping track, the NFL isn't in the business of spending money. It's in the business of making it, which is why Roger Goodell and the powers that be are privately hoping that Manning signs with a squad that might let them put the lid back on the box.

Problem is, once the box is opened it can't be closed, although PFT also pointed out that the maelstrom that has surrounded Peyton Manning's free agency may have yet to hit its crescendo.

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To the extent that the contract “for life” would entail purchasing a portion of the team, there would be salary cap implications.  Before getting to that point, the transaction would have to be approved by a vote of the 32 owners (via Pro Football Talk).

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Stay tuned.

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