The Miami Dolphins tried to lure quarterback peyton manning out of retirement last season after their starter, Ryan Tannehill, suffered a season-ending ACL injury against the Arizona Cardinals after taking a low hit from Calais Campbell. The Dolphins were 8-5 and in the running for a playoff berth when Tannehill suffered the injury. Left with Matt Moore as a backup and two inexperienced signal callers on the roster, head coach Adam Gase was forced to send a desperate text message to Manning.
According to Peyton’s father, Archie, Gase sent Manning a text message, informing the quarterback that Tannehill went down with an injury and going to miss some time.
“The first question I'm going to get at the press conference in the morning is if I'm going to try to bring you to Miami. What do you want me to tell them?” Gase asked Manning. Gase was close to Manning as he was Peyton’s offensive coordinator with the Denver Broncos from 2013 to 2014. Manning retired after winning his second Super Bowl ring at Super Bowl 50.
Manning turned down Gase’s proposal
However, Manning turned down Gase’s overture, replying via text: “You tell them I could probably come play, but there's no way I can miss carpool the next two weeks.” With Manning out of the equation, Gase stuck with Moore, who led the Dolphins to two wins in their last three games to make it to the playoffs after completing 63 percent of his passes with eight touchdowns and three interceptions.
Moore was efficient in their playoff showdown against the Pittsburgh, completing 29 of 36 passes but the Dolphins put just 12 points on the board as the Steelers cruised to victory.
Manning, for his part, said he’s at peace with his decision to retire and does not have the itch to suit up one more time. "I did not miss it like a lot of people told me that I would," Manning said.
Tannehill getting ready for upcoming season
Luckily for the Dolphins, Tannehill’s injury was not extensive as first believed. Instead of undergoing surgery, doctors advised Tannehill to just rest and do rehabilitation work. When organized team activities (OTAs) opened, Tannehill’s knee looked great, and he was a full participant in training.
“Feel good,” Tannehill said then asked about the knee, adding that he’s feeling back to 100 percent. However, Tannehill will have to wear a knee brace during practice and games to protect his injured knee.
An eighth overall pick by the Dolphins in 2012, Tannehill signed a four-year contract extension worth $77 million with $11.5 million signing bonus and $45 million guaranteed money. In 77 games, he tossed for 18,455 with 106 touchdowns and 66 interceptions, completing 62.7 percent of his passes.
