The talk, at least before the Denver Broncos took a team vote and decided not to show up for the game, was that Peyton Manning might call an end to his career and ride off into the sunset after winning his second Super Bowl ring.
After as miserable a performance as you will ever see on a big stage by a future Hall of Famer, the Broncos might be excused if they just don't invite him back.
They will, of course, because Manning can still put up big numbers and win more games than the average quarterback.
He actually set a Super Bowl record Sunday night by completing 34 passes, though the vast majority were meaningless short throws that the Seattle Seahawks were more than happy to give him in a 43-8 blowout.
But after a second Super Bowl flop where the 37-year-old seemed to be aging by the minute, it may be that Manning is destined to forever be among a large group of quarterbacks who win the big one only once.
Yes, he had plenty of help from teammates who couldn't hold onto the ball and others who seemed to forget how to tackle. Yes, the Seahawks have a suffocating defence filled with players who like to hit and strut and then do it all over again.
But it was Manning and centre Manny Ramirez who set the tone with a miscommunication for the ages on the opening play from scrimmage. And it was Manning who threw two first half interceptions that gave the opportunistic Seahawks a lead they weren't about to give up.
Manning set NFL records this year with 55 touchdown passes and 5,447 yards while leading the league's top-ranked offence. But he's now 11-12 in playoff games.
Tom Brady has lost a few of these, but he never completely gave them away. Joe Montana wouldn't have even dreamed of it.
Heck, it's hard to even imagine the other Manning sibling - who owns two rings of his own - losing like this.
"To finish this way is very disappointing," Manning said. "It's a bitter pill to swallow."
One of the greatest quarterbacks ever? Not this night, when Manning seemed jittery and unprepared against a Seahawks defence eager to stake a claim to greatness of their own.
He will be back, unless doctors who treat his neck say otherwise.
But it's hard to imagine how next season will end any better than this one did.
