Peyton Manning Feels Bill Parcells, Jets Would've Ousted Him for His Rookie Struggles

Legendary quarterback Peyton Manning famously stayed in college rather than entering the 1997 NFL draft when the New York Jets owned the No. 1 pick, and he feels his career would've been over before it started if he landed in the Big Apple.

When Manning entered the league the following year with the Indianapolis Colts, he received an immediate wakeup call as he led the NFL with 28 interceptions as a rookie in the 1998 campaign. The Colts stuck with him, and he became one of the greatest quarterbacks of all time.

Manning told The Athletic's Zak Keefer that his career trajectory would've been much different with the Jets and their hard-nosed head coach, Bill Parcells, as he feels he wouldn't have been afforded the same patience.

"There's no way I throw 28 interceptions in New York," Manning said. "Because Parcells would've killed me first."

The Colts went 3-13 in Manning's rookie year before experiencing an immediate turnaround with a 13-3 record in 1999. He led the team to a Super Bowl title in 2006 and earned his second championship ring with the Denver Broncos in 2013.

Meanwhile, the Jets have been stuck in quarterback purgatory for quite some time and currently hold the league's longest playoff drought, spanning 14 consecutive years without a postseason appearance. New York signed Justin Fields this offseason in hopes that he will be able to turn his fledgling career around. The team opens the 2025 season on Sunday against the Pittsburgh Steelers and their former quarterback, Aaron Rodgers.