NFL: Manning to join Broncos - report

NFL quarterback and four-time MVP Peyton Manning will play for the Denver Broncos next season, according to reports.

The former Super Bowl champion has been seeking a new club after the Indianapolis Colts released him earlier in the month.

The 35-year-old, who missed last season after undergoing back surgery, had been in talks with a number of teams but has decided to join the Broncos, ESPN.com reports.

The Colts released Manning, who had played 13 seasons with the club since being drafted in 1998, as they look to the future and draft a new franchise quarterback with their first pick in next month's NFL draft.

They are expected to draft Stanford quarterback Andrew Luck.

The reported move to the Broncos would mean Denver are likely to trade their quarterback Tim Tebow who made headlines last year after leading the side to a number of late wins and also a playoff victory over the Pittsburgh Steelers.

Manning started every meaningful game for 13 seasons in Indianapolis 227 in a row, including the playoffs and took the Colts from perennial also-ran to one of the NFL's model franchises and the 2007 Super Bowl title.

In the two decades predating his arrival, the Colts won 116 games, one division title and made the playoffs three times. With Manning taking snaps, the Colts have won 150 games, eight division titles, two AFC championships and the franchise's first league championship since moving from Baltimore in 1984.

Indianapolis broke the NFL record for most regular-season wins in a decade (115), and tied Dallas' mark for most consecutive playoff appearances (nine).

Manning is one of four players with more than 50,000 yards passing, one of three with more than 350 TD tosses, and one of two quarterbacks with more than 200 starts in a row. He broke all of the franchise's major career passing records, previously held by Hall of Fame quarterback John Unitas.

In 2009, Manning led the Colts to the cusp of NFL history with a 14-0 start, fueling talk of an unbeaten season, before they lost their final two games of the regular season. Manning then went onto lose his second appearance at the Super Bowl - falling to the New Orleans Saints.

- HERALD ONLINE/AP