UNDATED (AP) — Peyton Manning, no surprise, is among 15 finalists for the Pro Football Hall of Fame’s class of 2021. The star quarterback and owner of a record five NFL Most Valuable Player awards and two Super Bowl titles was one of the most prolific passers in NFL history.
In 18 pro seasons and 265 starts out of 266 games played since being the top overall draft choice by Indianapolis in 1998, he had 14 seasons with 4,000-plus yards passing. When he retired following leading Denver to the 2015 league title, Manning held NFL records for career passing yards (71,940), career passing touchdowns (539) and consecutive seasons with at least 25 passing touchdowns (13).
In other NFL news:
—The Atlanta Falcons have interviewed two directors of college scouting, Brad Holmes of the Los Angeles Rams and Morocco Brown of the Indianapolis Colts, for their general manager position. The Falcons say they conducted remote interviews with Holmes and Brown. Atlanta is looking to replace Thomas Dimitroff, who along with coach Dan Quinn was fired following a 0-5 start this season. The 41-year-old Holmes has been with the Rams for eight years.
—The Panthers say they have completed interviews with six potential candidates for their general manager position. Carolina announced that it interviewed Bills assistant GM Joe Schoen, Titans director of player personnel Monti Ossenfort, Saints assistant GM and college scouting director Jeff Ireland and Patriots director of player personnel Nick Caserio, as well as Browns vice president of football operations Kwesi Adofo-Mensah and former Giants GM Jerry Reese on Monday. The Panthers fired GM Marty Hurney last month.
— A person familiar with the situation says Carson Wentz needs time away to think about his future with the Philadelphia Eagles and is hopeful it won’t end in a divorce. Wentz was benched for the final four games after the worst season of his five-year career and was inactive Sunday in a loss to Washington. He hasn’t spoken to reporters since Dec. 6 and declined interview requests Monday.
— Georgia quarterback JT Daniels says he’s returning for another year between the hedges. Daniels transferred from Southern Cal and started the final four games for the Bulldogs after fully recovering from a knee injury. He led Georgia to four straight wins, including a victory over Cincinnati in the Peach Bowl.
— Tennessee cornerback Bryce Thompson has declared early for the NFL draft, saying he feels ready for the challenge as he tries to fulfill his lifelong dream. Thompson announced his decision Tuesday in a social media post. The 5-foot-11, 190-pound cornerback from Irmo, South Carolina, started 28 of 31 games and has eight career interceptions.
— New York Giants defensive coordinator Pat Graham is staying put. The Giants say Graham signed a contract extension to remain as Joe Judge’s defensive coordinator. He is adding the title assistant head coach. The Giants defense improved markedly this past season and Graham reportedly was being considered for the vacant head coaching job with the Jets.
