Peyton Manning is in the discussion for best quarterback of all time, but Father Time comes for everyone, and maybe it's come for him. A couple of reports out this week probably have some truth and fiction to them, but there's enough smoke there to at least suggest the Broncos have doubts about his level of play this season.

Manning faded badly down the stretch a year ago, with talk of an injury, weather, or age being the major factors. That decline makes a sports radio report of the Texans and Broncos discussing an offseason trade of Manning seem at least conceivable. Mike Klis then came out and said the Broncos weren't trading Manning, but did want him to take a $10 million pay cut. They eventually settled on $4 million.

Even the trade talks, if they happened, were described as preliminary; maybe it was a simple matter of the Texans (who have a pretty good team except for quarterback) exploring veteran possibilities and inquiring about Manning.

But the fact that the Broncos, who know Manning best, were apparently looking for him to take a massive paycut and risk ticking him off suggests they think his days of NFL and fantasy dominance are over -- that his late-season decline wasn't just a hiccup which he'll easily bounce back from this season.

We've seen the reports that the Broncos will want to run more this season, and take some pressure off Manning. We know they could take a step back at receiver (Julius Thomas gone), and that's even assuming they work out a contract with franchised Demaryius Thomas.

Taken all together, it's reasonable to think Manning won't be as good in his age 39 season, and Denver's passing game won't be as good. He's not going to be traded, but he's not going to be the kind of dominant quarterback he was in 2013 and the first half of 2014 either.

He'll probably slip a little in drafts, and if he falls too far it becomes difficult to pass him up. But the second half of last season Manning might be closer to what you get than the Hall of Famer. Think Brett Favre in 2010 rather than 2009. Not a player you want to take too early.

--Andy Richardson