Fact Check: Did Ryan Leaf's agent convince Colts to draft Peyton Manning at No. 1? Wild 1998 NFL Draft story explored

The story of Ryan Leaf and Peyton Manning will always resurface ahead of every edition of the NFL draft.

It’s worth revisiting now because the 2023 draft features two high-profile quarterback prospects: Bryce Young and C.J. Stroud. It’s still uncertain who among them the Carolina Panthers will select with the first-overall pick.

Twenty-five years ago, the Indianapolis Colts had the same dilemma. On one end, there was the more polished Manning, who won major collegiate football awards in his final year at the University of Tennessee.

Then there was Ryan Leaf, the player with a more significant upside and a stronger arm. The Colts eventually selected Manning, while Leaf went to the San Diego Chargers at No. 2.

But in a 2014 article by USA Today’s Mike Foss, super-agent Leigh Steinberg shared how he and Leaf possibly manipulated the 1998 draft. In his tell-all book, The Agent, Steinberg revealed that Leaf said he did not want to go to Indianapolis.

“No way do I want to play in Indianapolis.”

Instead, Leaf wanted to play for the Chargers because of California’s warm weather and laid-back lifestyle. Likewise, San Diego is a shorter drive than Indianapolis from Washington State, Leaf’s alma mater. But when asked if they were going to pull off Leaf’s request, Steinberg replied:

“That’s fine. But the way to achieve this is not exactly going to help your image. You'll get a lot of criticism.”

Steinberg hatched his plan by instructing Leaf to skip his meeting with then-Colts head coach Jim Mora. The plan worked. Ryan Leaf received a ton of dissent, especially after his comments during an interview with the Colts.

In a video by "NFL Films," Jamie Dukes shared that Leaf said he would go to Las Vegas and party after becoming the top overall pick. In contrast, Manning said he would work and play hard.

In the end, though, Steinberg was able to guide his client to where he wanted to go.

Ryan Leaf: a tough and expensive pill to swallow for the Chargers

Chargers fans were elated that Leaf fell to No. 2. He ended his final year at Washington State with 3,968 yards, 34 passing touchdowns, and six rushing scores.

Those numbers made him a 1997 First-Team All-American. Feeling that they got the right guy, the Chargers gave him a four-year, $31.25 million rookie contract, the highest deal given to a rookie.

Everything soon went south for Leaf and the Chargers. He had a poor work ethic and frosty relationships with his teammates. After the draft, he partied all night in Vegas and yawned through his introductory press conference. He also missed the final day of a mandatory symposium for draftees.

All would have been forgiven if he had led the Chargers to victory. But he didn’t do much on the field after winning his first two games. After losing against the Kansas City Chiefs, wherein he completed only one of 15 passes, he was filmed shouting at a reporter. He later issued a half-hearted apology for his behavior.

Leaf lasted three seasons with the Chargers but only played in two. He missed the entire 1999 season due to a labral tear on his throwing shoulder. But even with the injury, he was still the subject of controversy after being caught on video playing flag football.

The Chargers won only four games when he was the starter. He was out of the league at 26, appearing in only 25 games.

Peyton Manning’s success was Ryan Leaf’s demise

In contrast, Manning became one of the game’s best quarterbacks. He was so great that the pitch for his induction to the Pro Football Hall of Fame lasted only 13 seconds.

There wasn’t any need for elaborate talking because his credentials spoke for themselves. Aside from winning two Super Bowls, Manning is the first NFL player to win the Most Valuable Player award five times.

Manning is also a seven-time First Team All-Pro and 14-time Pro Bowler. He led the league in every meaningful statistic for quarterbacks at least twice. He was also the 2012 Comeback Player of the Year and the 2005 Walter Payton Man of the Year awardee.

While Ryan Leaf threw for 14 touchdowns in his brief career, Peyton Manning had an NFL record of 55 touchdown passes in 2013 alone.

Former Colts general manager refutes Ryan Leaf agent's stunt

Despite the ploy revealed by Steinberg, then-Colts general manager Bill Polian had a stern response regarding their decision to pass on Ryan Leaf.

He said on ESPN Radio’s "Mike and Mike in the Morning" in 2014:

“Agents cannot manipulate anything in the draft. Leigh and other agents for years and years have told kids that they can get players drafted by a certain club at a certain spot, and nothing could be further from the truth.

“That assumes that we on the club side are idiots, that we're able to be manipulated, that we don't do our homework, that we don't watch the tape, that we don't go all the way back to the junior high school coach and high school principal, teachers, doing our due diligence.

“It's just the kind of hubris that existed among agents years ago where they told kids to flat-out, 'I can get you taken here, I can get you taken there.’ Nothing could be further from the truth.”

Without question, the Colts got the better end of the Peyton Manning-Ryan Leaf saga.

It was also a nice bounce back from fumbling the John Elway pick as the Baltimore Colts 15 years earlier. Depending on which side you believe, it’s a story that will never die as long as quarterback prospects are in the limelight.