Peyton Manning: Greatest Free Agent Ever? Not Hardly

I've already seen a few articles around the Internet proclaiming Peyton Manning the greatest free agent in NFL history, but that simply isn't true.

First off, Manning being healthy in time for Week 1 is far from a forgone conclusion. Conclusive evidence of Manning's recovery from that 2011 neck surgery still eludes us. Couple that with the fact Manning will need a brand new team and a very patient head coach to install the offense he wants in time for training camp, and questions about his immediate impact remain.

Furthermore, Manning turns 36 later this month, and prospective teams understand they're competing to rent his services on a short-term basis. Whichever team lands the prized quarterback will understand that after four or five seasons (if he stays healthy for that span), it'll be right back where it started. Granted, that's a literal lifetime by NFL standards, but you get the point.

Let me show you a short list of great free-agent signings, and you tell me if Manning has a realistic chance of outperforming any of them.

1. Reggie White to Green Bay Packers (1993)

Free agency was a brand new thing in the NFL in 1993, and White was at the top of its very first class. The defensive lineman had just finished his eighth season as cornerstone of the Philadelphia Eagles. White, then 32, paced his decision, visiting the facilities of various teams like a high-school senior being recruited by major college-football programs.

He decided on Green Bay—a curious choice at the time—and signed a four-year, $17 million deal, which made him the highest-paid lineman in history at the time. His impact on the field was felt immediately.

In each of his six years with the Packers, White made the Pro Bowl. During that span, he recorded 68.5 sacks and missed only one game. He helped the Packers win a Super Bowl in 1997, made the 1990s All-Decade team, and NFL.com ranked him the seventh-greatest player of all time in 2010.

2. Deion Sanders to San Francisco 49ers (1994), Dallas Cowboys (1995)

Like a lot of folks in Atlanta, Sanders kept busy by holding down two jobs. Unlike most folks, the Atlanta Falcons' cornerback spent his 1994 offseason playing baseball for the neighboring Braves baseball club. While he was a journeyman baseball player during his nine seasons in the bigs, Sanders was a "shutdown corner" on the gridiron, as many NFL teams decided against throwing to his side of the field.

Sanders should be on this list twice. After signing a one-year deal with the Niners in 1994 (which he concluded with the proverbial caress of the Vince Lombardi Trophy), he signed a titanic (at the time) seven-year, $35 million deal with the Cowboys. Prime Time was still in his prime with both teams, with the latter making him the highest-paid defensive player ever at that time.

He was worth the money. For the second time in as many seasons, Sanders' team won the Super Bowl. Sanders would play five total seasons with the Cowboys, making the Pro Bowl in four of them. Though his abilities declined sharply in subsequent visits to Washington and Baltimore, NFL.com still ranked him No. 34 on its aforementioned all-time list.

3. Drew Brees to New Orleans Saints (2006)

My, look at how far Drew Brees has come. After being benched in favor of Doug Flutie in 2003, the San Diego Chargers co-engineered a blockbuster trade for Philip Rivers in the 2004 NFL Draft. Brees, from all indications, appeared to be on the downside of his career. However, Rivers missed most of training camp as a contract holdout, leaving the door open for Brees to have a Pro Bowl season and win the league's Comeback Player of the Year honors.

After another strong showing in 2005, Brees suffered a shoulder injury late in the season.  The Chargers (while still carrying Rivers' six-year, $40 million rookie deal) made a hedge play by offering Brees an incentive-heavy renewal deal. Brees balked and instead signed a six-year, $60 million deal with the Saints.

Brees' six seasons in New Orleans have been, dare I say, almost magical. After a long stay at the bottom of the NFC standings, Brees was the centerpiece of a resurgent organization and a transcendent symbol for a city making a recovery of its own. With the exception of 2007, Brees made the Pro Bowl every season. In 2008, he was the league's Offensive Player of the Year. Their 2009 season was capped with a Super Bowl victory. And toward the end of 2011, Brees broke Dan Marino's single-season passing yardage record—a mark that had stood for 27 years.

So, I'm not saying that Peyton Manning's career doesn't hold up to these aforementioned players. It certainly does. What I am saying is that no team should expect this level of return from him, not at this point in his career.

Brett Favre was 40 when he took the Minnesota Vikings to the NFC Championship Game in their 2009 season, but Favre wasn't nursing a chronically injured neck. His longevity, even by elite quarterback standards, can safely be sorted as an anomaly.

Manning will be a great acquisition for whichever team gets him, he'll sell a lot of jerseys and will continue to represent the league with his own brand of southern-style dignity. But let's stop calling him the greatest free agent ever. Surely, hindsight is 20/20, but that's no reason to be blind to the other great careers that preceded this year's free-agent class.

I have no doubt Manning can still play. I just wonder for how long.