Manning recalls then-49ers coach Harbaugh sneakily watching workout

Manning recalls then-49ers coach Harbaugh sneakily watching workout originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area

Peyton Manning had a hilarious interaction with Jim Harbaugh in the spring of 2012.

On Monday’s “Manningcast,” the former NFL quarterback recounted to his brother Eli and Bill Belichick the time he worked out for a disguised Harbaugh.

“When the [Indianapolis] Colts let me go as a free agent, Eli I told you this story, I working out down at Duke and Jim Harbaugh and [Greg] Roman were with the 49ers, and they came down to work me out,” Manning explained.

After missing the entire 2011 NFL season due to a neck injury, Manning was a hot commodity on the free-agent market in the spring of 2012. Then the head coach of the 49ers, Harbaugh wanted to see if Manning had made a full recovery from his injury.

“But they didn’t want to tell anybody they were pursuing me,” Manning said. “So, Harbaugh watched the whole workout from his car in a Bill Belichick hoodie. I was out there throwing, and he’d say, ‘I want to see you come back to the left. I want to see you throw on the run.’

“The reason he didn’t want to be seen is he wasn’t sure if [ESPN NFL insider Adam] Schefter was going to be hiding in the trees, which he easily could have been …

“I had a great workout. We played burnout after the workout and Jim wanted me to see how well he still threw the ball, but that was back in 2012 at Duke University. He was in the hoodie, he looked like Belichick.”

While Harbaugh successfully resurrected Alex Smith’s career after arriving in San Francisco in 2011, the coach was open to the idea of replacing him with a more dynamic quarterback. Manning eventually signed with the Denver Broncos, however, and Colin Kaepernick ultimately took over for the 49ers under center and led them to Super Bowl XLVII.

Given how close San Francisco came to winning that Super Bowl, it’s enough to wonder what could have been if Manning had decided to sign with the 49ers.

While with Denver, the legendary signal-caller won his fifth NFL MVP award and Super Bowl 50, so he still had plenty left in the tank.

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