Danny Trevathan Rob Leiter Getty Images

Now, less than a week before the day on which all teams must be in compliance with the salary cap, neither Johnson nor Manning have officially retired. "He just loves it. Everybody has a different opinion of where to go about every different year, but when his body says it's time to stop I'm sure he'll do the right thing for his health".

"Many of you have probably heard that I have a significant announcement to make, so I thought I'd go ahead and make it with all of you here tonight", Manning said.

Some people argue Manning should take the fairytale ending to his Hall of Fame career and ride off into the sunset after winning the Super Bowl in early February.

Manning will undergo a team physical with the Broncos medical staff on Friday March 4th.

While Harrison expects Manning to continue playing, he doesn't exactly relate to him when it comes to such a tough retirement decision. Meanwhile, the Broncos are known to be negotiating a new contract for Osweiler, who played seven games this season while Manning was sidelined with a foot injury. He tossed a measly nine touchdowns to 17 interceptions while accumulating a mere 2,249 yards at an underwhelming 6.8 average and a 67.9 quarterback rating. All they need to really take that next step is a guy the coach can cut loose, and that guy should be upcoming free agent, Brock Osweiler.

The Broncos' position: They have invested four years in Osweiler's development since they made him, as a 20-year-old, a second-round pick in the 2012 draft.

Ware, an eight-time All-Pro, signed with the Broncos two years ago and helped form a fearsome outside pass rush with Miller, who said it means everything to have a "percentage of the credit" for getting Ware a Super Bowl ring. And I was more than happy to walk away at that time.

That's but one reason he didn't rush into retirement as the gold confetti fluttered around him last month.