Mega Deal!

It didn't take long. After a stunning upset by a fearless Gang Green team, Monkey's GM Evan knew it was time to make a change. Within days of the Super Bowl loss, the final details of a blockbuster deal began to emerge. While the final strokes didn't occur until NFL Super Bowl week (Buffy GM Roger wanted to wait until the Colts lost to the Saints), Monkeys management had been stoking the talks for several weeks.

There was good reason for the time needed for negotiations as this isn't any regular deal. This is a deal that involves three CTDB teams and potentially 3 first rounders and 2 second or third rounders. This will represent massive change for the league in several ways. First, lets get to the deal.

The Monkeys have acquired Philip Rivers (QB) and Roddy White (WR) while Buffy acquires the rights to Matt Forte (RB) and Michael Turner (RB) and Fat Jubas receiving Peyton Manning (QB). No triggers, no escalators, no draft picks - this is just a straight up player for player (for player) trade.

Some thoughts on implications for each team:

Chunky Monkeys. This year has been coming for awhile. The dynamic duo of LT and Peyton Manning had been incomparable for years. The two represented the only starting duo from the original 2001 class and has been the cornerstone for the Monkeys franchise. While LT had a down year despite 12 touchdowns, Peyton Manning was still the undisputed top quarterback in the league. However, despite the dominant decade of wins, streaks and records ... the Monkeys only had one Super Bowl ring to show for it. With LT likely to be released this year, Monkeys brass decided the right deal was in front of them. While Philip Rivers is not quite Peyton Manning, the Monkeys had an opportunity to draft a budding Charger legend along with a top-tier receiver in Roddy White. It was a chance to get younger, solidify a receiving core that has been lacking stability for years and most importantly and symbolically - begin change for the new decade.

Buffy. Wow. This was a huge deal for Buffy as they arguably got the two highest rated (fantasy) players in the draft. While Forte had a down year, both Turner and Forte are first round picks. Unquestionably. There just aren't that many starting running backs and Mike Martz certainly won't hurt. Through this move, the Buffy franchise has also signified a major change in the team's offensive philosophy. Gone are the days of the run n' gun with 4 receiver sets - the formations that made Air-Buffy so famous back in the early 2000s. Forte and Turner are bruising running backs. Buffy will be looking to run.

Fat Jubas. With Frank Gore and Ryan Grant already in the stables, the Jubas had a spare back and they knew it. When the Monkeys came calling with a three way deal with Peyton Manning on the table, it was too good to pass up. Peyton Manning still likely has 3-5 years of elite talent left and will fit in well in the Jubas offensive scheme. Jubas GM Eric-L loves veteran QBs (Warner was the latest but don't forget, this was the team that started Tommy Maddox!). With Manning leading the team, the team got an upgrade in QB. That's hard to do when you had Kurt Warner.

The media fallout was immediate. ESPN analyst, John Clayton, was heard on SportsCenter earlier describing the transaction. "Its too early to declare winners or losers but really this was a trade to validate change. Arguably, the Buffy franchise got the two best current players. However, any time you pick up a franchise quarterback like Peyton Manning, you can't really be called a loser. For the Monkeys, it was a sorely needed shift. Rivers is a great quarter back and Roddy White should give them some much needed stability at the receiver slot."

Chunky Monkey's GM, Evan, told the media: "Before I go into the details and rationale of why we did this deal as an organization, I wanted to spend some time on Peyton Manning. Peyton, as you all know, was the first overall pick for our franchise in 2001 and he will always be recognized as one of the best player in our franchise's history. I could go through all of the stats but you all know his body of work is as impressive as there is in this league. Stastically, there is no one better and more consistent. He brought home a superbowl ring in 2006 and has been the unquestioned co-captain of this team for the last 10 years alongside LaDainian Tomlinson. I want to thank Peyton for giving his all to the Monkey franchise franchise. He embodied the true spirit of what it means to be a Chunky Monkey. Serving as the leader of our franchise for the last 10 years, I have nothing but the deepest respect and admiration for Peyton. Trading Manning was probably the hardest roster decision we've had to make in the last 10 years.

However, today is also an incredibly exciting day for us here in Monkey HQ as we are welcoming two guys who we think will be the elite quarterback of the next decade and a top-flight wide receiver for years to come in Roddy White. Both Philip and Roddy are high-character guys with enormous potential. We saw this trade as an opportunity to acquire elite talent. Our coaching staff here loves Philip Rivers. In fact, we are confident that Philip will be the next face of the Monkeys for the next 15 years - hopefully, he'll be the next Peyton Manning. The acquisition for Roddy White was also very important for us. We've been searching for that go-to #1 wide receiver for awhile now and our coaching staff believe Roddy may be that guy. He's going to be a leader in this club house and certainly will be a high-priority target for Philip."