(CNN) -- Free agent quarterback Peyton Manning will play for the Denver Broncos, the team announced Tuesday.
"This is truly a special football environment, and I'm glad to be a part of it," Manning said at a news conference where the Broncos made the announcement.
"I haven't had a whole time to breathe. This happened Monday morning," Manning said of his decision to join the Broncos.
He said he talked to a number of NFL teams before agreeing to a contract with Denver.
"I'm proud to be a Denver Bronco," he said.
"It felt strange being a new locker room. I haven't been anywhere else," said the quarterback.
Manning was released earlier this year by the Indianapolis Colts, the only team for which he's played in his 14-year pro career. In the subsequent weeks, the Super Bowl XLI victor -- who has been named the National Football League's Most Valuable Player a record four times -- has been hotly sought after by several teams.
He did not play during the 2011 season after having surgery to repair a neck injury, and he ended his career with the Colts this month in an emotional news conference.
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