Denver Broncos quarterback Peyton Manning has admitted that retiring from the game as a Super Bowl champion must be a "great feeling".
Manning's future has been the subject of intense speculation recently after it was revealed that he would undergo a medical examination to test his surgically-repaired neck ahead of the 2014 season.
The 37-year-old has expressed his desire to carry on playing beyond Sunday's Super Bowl against the Seattle Seahawks, but admits that walking out on top would feel good as well.
"I know there is a number of players that have walked away as champions. I'm sure that's a great feeling for those people, John Elway, Ray Lewis did it last year, Michael Strahan," Manning told reporters.
"In talking to Ray Lewis and in talking to John Elway, they couldn't play any more, that was all they had to give. They truly left it all out there."
Manning has enjoyed a record-breaking season this year, setting new NFL marks for passing yards (5,477) and touchdowns (55) in a single campaign.