The former Denver Broncos quarterback and Super Bowl champ has been popping up all over the place in recent years, leaving many to wonder if he still calls the Centennial State home after moving to the Mile High City in 2012 following his departure from the Indianapolis Colts.
In 2021, Manning joined forces with ESPN and his famous brother, Eli, to create the Manningcast broadcast for Monday Night Football. During the October 9 episode, Peyton showed love to his old team's home state with a shoutout in support of the Colorado Avalanche.
“The Avalanche are just letting the Knights borrow [the Stanley Cup] for a year,” Manning said. “It’s coming back to Denver next year."
Turns out Peyton and Eli have both drank out of the Stanley Cup 🍺😂 pic.twitter.com/NRrDRCWCtU
— ESPN (@espn) October 10, 2023
While "the Sheriff" may not be playing here anymore, it's obvious that his heart is still in Colorado, which is something he has talked about regularly since retiring in 2016, especially when it comes to the Broncos.
“'Grateful' is the word that comes to my mind," Manning famously said in his retirement speech.
Despite having the option to be just about anywhere in the world, voting records and a recent residential purchase in Denver's Cherry Hills Village show that Manning appears to be sincere in his feelings for the Mile High City.
In September, Manning bought another multimillion-dollar house on the very same Cherry Hills block where he has owned a home since his 2012 arrival. According to records obtained by Westword, he has been registered to vote in Arapahoe County ever since then, too; his registration as a Republican is still active to this day. Manning has exercised his democratic rights regularly over the years, notching votes in twelve different elections; his last vote was cast in the 2022 general election.
“Look, I certainly have an interest in politics and in our country,” Manning told the Denver Post in 2018. “I just have zero interest in being a politician.”
The New Orleans native even takes part in primary elections and non-election years, according to state records, casting votes in both the general and primary elections in Arapahoe County in 2016, 2018, 2020 and 2022.
Additionally, Manning voted in the general elections in 2012 and 2014, and in the 2020 presidential primary.
In 2016, he famously supported Jeb Bush and has regularly donated to the campaigns of Republican candidates, including George W. Bush and Mitt Romney.
Since 2012, all of Manning’s votes have been cast in the Centennial State — making him an official resident.
In addition to his voting record, there’s also Manning's growing real estate empire.
While an anonymous source told the Denver Post that Manning views his new $5.3 million Cherry Hills home as a business investment, it’s still another Colorado property that he can technically call his own.
Both of his houses were purchased through Wahoo Properties LLC, which was first incorporated here in 2012. It became delinquent in 2015, after Manning failed to file an annual report on time, and cured its delinquency in September, the same month his new home was purchased.
The registered agent for Wahoo Properties is Pey Dirt, Inc. — another Manning-owned company. State records list a Greenwood Village address for it.
This month, the Los Angeles Times shared an image of Manning working in a makeshift studio at a friend’s vintage car garage somewhere in Denver. Perhaps his new property could become a permanent studio.
Plenty of other Denver athletes have made Cherry Hills Village their home over the years.
Current Broncos quarterback Russell Wilson set a record for the most expensive house bought there ($25 million) in 2022, and Avalanche great and current president of hockey operations for the team Joe Sakic also calls the neighborhood home.
Manning has become a huge supporter of Colorado's sports teams, bolstering his status even more as a proud state resident.
Peyton partied it up with the Avs after their 2022 championship win, adding to the case that he’s a real-deal Coloradan. He’s also been spotted at countless Denver Nuggets games and reportedly coaches his sons’ middle school football team, along with Broncos icon Terrell Davis.
The retired QB hasn’t given up playing sports entirely, and is an avid golf player. This year, he was named honorary chair of the August 2023 U.S. Amateur Golf Championship; Cherry Hills Country Club and the Colorado Golf Club were host courses.
“As someone who has great enthusiasm for not only the game of golf, but also competitive athletics and all the great things that can be learned through sports, I’m thrilled to have a role in this championship,” Manning said in a press release from the United States Golf Association. “I’m confident Colorado’s golf fans will join me in welcoming the game’s best amateur players to Denver.”
Manning is a member at Cherry Hills Country Club and is said to hold a 4.0 USGA Handicap Index at the course.
He’s also been known to show up at concerts without warning, singing on stage with country music greats like Kenny Chesney and Dierks Bentley. In August, Manning crashed Parker McCollum’s Red Rocks concert, joining the country star to sing a rendition of “Red Dirt Road,” by Brooks and Dunn.
Manning has also dined at a myriad of local restaurants and tubed in the Colorado mountains. He’s just like the rest of us, it seems.
Would anyone really disagree at this point?
