Rumor: QBs Tom Brady and Peyton Manning to Hold Out and Demand Trades?

Editor's Note: Before rushing to the comments to bash the writer, actually read the article first.  That is, if you don't understand what satire is.  

In this horrid off-season for both the Patriots and Colts, where players like NT Vince Wilfork and S Antoine Bethea receive fair contracts, WRs Randy Moss and Reggie Wayne go, "I'unno" and shrug about next season, and players like DE Robert Mathis and LG Logan Mankins hold out, the last thing these two top franchises need is for their quarterbacks to threaten to jump ship.

I've heard from multiple sources (here, here and here) that there is a chance both Tom Brady and Peyton Manning are looking for new teams if neither front office signs them to a long term deal. I'm not saying that it will happen, but there's a chance that it's maybe possible. With all of the venom both quarterbacks have spit throughout their careers, about their contracts, it's no surprise that both of these superstars want big deals and they'll take them wherever they can get them.

It's clear that both players are unhappy about the current states of their contracts. Tom Brady is on record as saying,

"I don't really want to talk about it a whole lot, because there's nothing anyone can solve, other than the team and myself. There are a lot of guys in my situation. So really, I just want to focus on what's coming up this week. And I'm just excited to be back on the field with the guys. Things happen, some are out of your control. You just gotta go with the flow. Really, I haven't been thinking about it a whole lot. It's just part of the process. I love being on the field with the guys, playing. And that's really where my focus is."

Such hate from his tongue! Only a man who has given up on his team would say such terrible things! And who could blame him? It's not like the owner of his team wants him around. And it's not like Brady wants to be around either. Here's what Bobby Kraft had to say on the subject:

""Tom Brady will be part of this franchise. He wants to be. We want him to be. Great things happen if you're flexible, not rigid. We're not sleeping (on getting a new contract in place). It's complicated. We're very lucky to have him as our quarterback and we want him to be our quarterback for a long time into the future. Everything he represents is pretty special. He's a winner. We're privileged to have him a part of the New England Patriots organization."

That shows a total lack of commitment by the Patriots front office. Clearly, every Patriots fan should go and sell their Brady jerseys- the age of Hoyer has arrived!

More on the inevitable after the jump!

It's clear that this disagreement between Brady and the Patriots stems from Michael Silver's accurate, truthful, factual, piece, stating:

Chances are, Brady will remain with the Pats long past 2010, and this will go down as a business-driven blip in their relationship.

and Silver goes more in depth about how the Patriots could trade Brady and how easy it is for sports writers to pick and choose fragments quotations to fit their motive. Silver states:

Indy owner Jimmy Irsay said of a contract extension, "You know it’s going to get done. I think it’s clear, and we’ll start on it this summer. … And it’ll be the biggest [contract] in history; there’s not much doubt about that."

Contrast that with the comments Kraft made to reporters in March at the NFL owner meetings in Orlando about a potential Brady extension: "Great things happen in life if you’re flexible and not rigid. … We’re balancing a lot of different factors in an unknown environment. We’re not sleeping. It’s just complicated."

Because Kraft never said the whole, "Tom Brady will be part of this franchise. He wants to be. We want him to be." before that line. But that's fine, and possibly irrelevant, because it's clear that Brady wants out of this franchise- and so does Manning!

In the past, Manning has said such terrible things about his contract, such as:

Like I said, would [I] play for free in the NFL? Obviously, I wouldn't tell my owner that, but I would. I think you want to be around those kind of guys, guys that love it, guys that are thinking about it.

Clearly, with Tom Brady never having taken less than market value for a contract, both these players are adamant about wanting more money. Apart from Gisele Bundchen, who makes a dollar or two being a hand model or something, and aside from the one or two commercials Manning does, how will either of these players make a living?! It's clear both of these players only have dollar signs on their minds and it's up to the teams to figure out how to give it to them!

Now neither player's contract has ever been based in order to take into account the players surrounding him, and Colts' owner Jim Irsay says that won't start now:

Irsay said that Manning's deal is easy compared to trying to keep his mid-level players, and he wants to have a balanced deal that will allow him to keep a strong supporting cast.

"You have to be able to keep the (Pierre) Garcons and (Austin) Collies," he said. "They're going to be coming up."

Clearly, both front offices are thinking about building a team instead of the real issue: contracts for the quarterbacks! I mean it's so secret that Manning is upset and that Brady is upset. And when reliable, honest, not ratings driven, not anti-Patriots, mainstream writers touch on the subject that it's possible that a player is upset, you know the player has to be upset!

Now, when Brady gets traded to Denver for Tim Tebow, or to Kansas City for Matt Cassel (again), don't be surprised. Don't be alarmed when Brady is given to the Bills, a la Drew Bledsoe, because the Patriots want a fresh start with a quarterback who really cares about the team- someone like Jake Locker!

And when Manning is given to the Jaguars because he's washed up, or when he's given to the New York Giants to show Eli, "how a real Manning quarterbacks," don't fear. If Manning goes to the Vikings because Favre might retire, or might not, I don't know but I'm at the edge of my seat because I care oh-so-much, don't worry.

This off-season marks the end of an era. It's clear that neither the players or the teams want anything to do with one another anymore.

So let's bid our farewells to the two greatest quarterbacks of the past decade, because there's a chance they aren't resigned. Now after the dust clears and these two players decide on where they're going, most likely after an hour long special on ESPN (The Manning-Brady Variety Hour. I'd watch it), only one question remains:

What else can I write about to boost my ratings?

Big Ben, do something stupid.

Here's some additional pieces on the Brady situation that are actually worth reading:

Clark Judge at CBS Sports

Tom Curran at CSNNE