Peyton Manning was very close to Demaryius Thomas. Now they are close in positioning for the Broncos Ring of Fame.

Manning, the former Denver star quarterback who was inducted into the Ring of Fame in 2021, was thrilled Sunday that the late wide receiver now has his pillar next to his outside Empower Field at Mile High and that his placard on the stadium facade is next to his.

Thomas, the former Broncos star receiver who died in 2021, was formally inducted into the Ring of Fame at halftime of their 33-32 win over the New York Giants. A source said Manning had requested wanting their pillars next to each other. And he saw Sunday their names now being next to each other inside the stadium.  

“It means a lot,’’ Manning said. “We were close, and he was so close to my family as well. It means a great deal.”

Manning spoke to the media before Sunday’s game. At halftime, he came onto the field wearing his familiar No. 18 jersey as part of the 10-year reunion held during the weekend for the 2015 team that defeated the Carolina Panthers 24-10 in Super Bowl 50. All of the more than 40 players from the team on hand wore jerseys from that season.

For Manning, the weekend was emotional, especially due to the honoring of Thomas, whose death at age 33 was believed to be from a seizure. He played for the Broncos from 2010-18, and was a key piece on the Super Bowl-winning team.

“Certainly (emotional),’’ Manning said. “(Saturday) night, they had (Hall of Fame outside linebacker) DeMarcus (Ware) and I speak on behalf of our team and a little bit on Demaryius. You do get emotional talking about it because the fact that Ronnie (Hillman, Denver’s leading rusher in 2015 who died in 2022) and (Thomas) aren’t with us anymore. It tells you that life is too short and you shouldn’t take 10 years to connect with someone or reconnect.”

Manning said he keeps in touch with a number of players from the 2015 team and cherishes memories of his final season in the NFL.

“I don’t wear my Super Bowl ring,’’ Manning said. “I have the memory in my mind and in my heart, but I have those friendships and relationships and phone numbers and group texts that fortunately continue after you stop playing. That’s still my greatest takeaway.”

Manning starred for the Indianapolis Colts from 1998-2010 before sitting out the 2011 season due to a neck injury. He said a key factor in signing with Denver, where he played from 2012-15, was being able to join up with the 6-foot-3, 225-pound Thomas.

“When all of you asked me what’s the main reason I came to Denver, I’m not sure I gave you all the honest answers back in 2012, but Demaryius was a big reason for it because I never quite played a receiver quite like him,’’ Manning said. “I played with Marvin Harrison, Reggie Wayne (with the Colts), unbelievable receivers. But nobody was as big and as powerful as Demaryius and I was kind of wondering what would that be like. And it was every bit as good as I thought it would be.”

In his nine Denver seasons, Thomas caught 665 passes for 9,055 yards and 60 touchdowns. But Manning said he “was every bit as good of a human being as he was a football player.”

“He always had everything in perspective,’’ Manning said. “That was very contagious among all of our players, but it was helpful to me. … We won the Super Bowl in (Santa Clara, Calif., on Feb. 7, 2016), and everybody’s just so excited and he’s pushing my son, Marshall, around in the laundry bin like that was his priority. … Marshall loved it, I loved it but that just tells you he had more joy being around young people. It was very evident in his Boys & Girls Club philanthropic activities and initiatives (in Denver).”

Now, Manning and Thomas will remain close with the positioning of their Ring of Fame pillars and their placards at the stadium.