Once upon a time, professional ballplayers went to play for a team and they stayed. They were franchise players – so good that entire teams were built around them. Think Jon Elway. Dan Marino. Larry Bird. Cal Ripken.
Things aren’t exactly the same anymore. It took more than a few minutes to adjust to seeing Brett Favre in a Jets uniform – and then in a Vikings uniform. Wayne Gretzky didn’t look the same as King. And MJ as a Wizard?
I understand that this is the way the world works. But it doesn’t make it any easier.
And that’s why it was so hard to hear the announcement last week that Peyton Manning was leaving the Colts. I’m not even a Colts fan. I’m an Eagles fan. We’re supposed to hate most of the teams in the AFC (okay, I think technically we’re supposed to hate most teams, period, but still). You can’t, however, have watched and loved the game of football over the last decade without admiring Manning and the way he played the game, the way he inspired his team and the way that he energized the city of Indianapolis – heck, he helped build that stadium that housed the last Super Bowl, watched by millions and millions across the globe.
But after an amazing fourteen-year run, Manning and the Colts are parting ways. Manning isn’t retiring, he’s moving on. But where?
Manning has apparently politely declined at least three teams so far: Seattle, Kansas City and Washington (for which we Eagles fans are very thankful). That leaves, for the most part, a handful of teams with the money and the roster to lure Manning: Denver, Arizona, Tennessee, and Miami.
So who looks best to Manning? I can’t profess to know what’s in his head. But I do know two things that might play into the equation: friends and money.
When it comes to friends, wide receiver and fellow “used to be a Colt” Reggie Wayne is sitting in Miami and has made it known that he would welcome Peyton to South Beach. Manning also has a home in Florida, so he’d hardly be a stranger.
When it comes to money, while Miami has some wiggle room on the cap, what they don’t have is tons of money. Peyton’s not a poor guy by any means. But that still doesn’t mean he’ll play for peanuts. But a deal with Miami would offer him something that a deal in Tennessee, for example, couldn’t: a tax break.
It’s not just the sun and surf: income tax-free Florida has lured a number of professional sports figures and celebrities. Tax motives were one of the reasons why it was widely speculated that LeBron James would make the move to Florida rather than New York and supposedly the lure for Tiger Woods to leave California for Florida.
In fact, when it comes to dollars, the über rich tend to take advantage of tax breaks more than the average taxpayer. The rich often choose their tax homes, schedule their appearances, or select investments and wealth planning strategies based on what can make them more money because, well, they can. That makes sense, of course, because no one wants to pay more in taxes than he or she has to.
It will be interesting to see how it all settles with Manning… Will taxes matter? I think they will. Even if Manning doesn’t head to Florida, he might consider taxes in his final analysis. As of this morning, Monte Burke is reporting that Manning is most likely to sign with Denver or Arizona (while Florida clings to the hope that he might change his mind). Arizona and Colorado are neck and neck among the lowest tax-burdened states in the country (38th and 39th, respectively, with 1st being the most tax burdened), according to the Tax Foundation.
This is, after all, the game of football. Anything could happen.