Seahawks Coach Pete Carroll Flew Out To Meet Peyton Manning and Was Rebuffed
Published on February 3rd, 2025 9:17 pm ESTWritten By: Dave Manuel

What if the Seattle Seahawks had been successful in their attempt to sign Peyton Manning in 2012?
In 2012, Peyton Manning had been cut by the Indianapolis Colts and was a free agent.
Despite concerns over his health, Peyton Manning was a sought-after target, with the Denver Broncos, San Francisco 49ers and Tennessee Titans all vying for his services.
The Seattle Seahawks were in desperate need of a quarterback and wanted to pitch Manning on the idea of playing for the Seahawks and Pete Carroll.
Manning rebuffed the Seahawks, saying that he had no interest in signing for the team.
Manning was staying with an old teammate in Denver while he meditated on who he should sign with. The Seattle Seahawks were not one of the options that Manning was considering, but that didn't stop Pete Carroll from attempting to meet with Manning anyways.
Carroll hopped on a plane to Denver in the hopes of meeting with Peyton Manning.
Carroll didn't have an entourage of Seahawks brass with him - no, Pete Carroll was by himself. The gum-chewing, hyper-optimistic coach thought that he could seal the deal and lure Manning to the Seahawks all by himself.
Peyton Manning is a real "by the book" guy and apparently didn't appreciate Carroll attempting to blindside him.
Despite being told by Manning that he wasn't interested in signing with the Seahawks, Carroll attempted to set up a meeting anyways. Manning declined to meet Carroll, and the Seahawks coach had to make the flight back to Seattle with nothing to show for it.
-
The Denver Broncos ended up signing Manning to a deal, where he enjoyed arguably the best days of his career. Manning would win a Super Bowl with the Broncos.
The Seattle Seahawks pivoted away from Manning and ended up signing Matt Flynn to a contract. More importantly, the Seahawks drafted Russell Wilson in the third round of the 2012 NFL Draft, and Wilson would lead the Seahawks to one (and almost two) Super Bowls.
Peyton Manning's emphatic decline of the Seahawks certainly ended up working out for both sides.