At 5 Years, $90 Million, Are the Broncos Offering Too Much for Peyton Manning?

Details are emerging that suggest the Denver Broncos have prepared a significant offer for free-agent quarterback Peyton Manning. In fact, Mike Klis of the Denver Post claims the Broncos are working off the parameters of the four-time MVP's former contract with the Colts. 

Klis is reporting that the Broncos and the Tennessee Titans are preparing offers in the five-year, $90 million range. 

If true, the Broncos are putting a ton of faith in a guy who has had four neck surgeries over the past two years. 

Really it's insane that they would offer him that much, since that type of deal almost took down the entire Colts organization. Manning's ridiculous deal with Indianapolis forced the Colts into a position where they had to cut him loose when he wasn't fully healthy. The subsequent cap hit they will suffer has put them in a position where they have to jettison a lot of long-time franchise stalwarts and start rebuilding on the cheap.

Denver has a ton of cap room, so maybe they can absorb the kind of hit a huge deal like what they are reportedly offering Manning will bring with it. But it may not be smart business. After all, how many other pieces could they add to surround current quarterback Tim Tebow with, at that price?

Manning's old deal paid him $26.4 million in its first year then was scheduled to net him $35.4 million in the second. That's almost an unbelievable amount of cash to commit to one player. 

Manning may come back and play at an MVP level for whichever team he signs for, I'm not sure that possibility is worth the insanely high risk involved with offering that kind of contract.