KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — The Kansas City Chiefs were in contact with Peyton Manning from the start, but general manager Scott Pioli said the former Indianapolis Colts quarterback had formulated a list of likely destinations early on.

Manning wound up agreeing to a $96 million, five-year deal with Denver.

Pioli said during a conference call with Tuesday that Manning was “up front about what he was doing, some of the visits he wanted to take, and we initially weren’t a part of that.”

Matt Cassel is expected to return as the Chiefs’ starting quarterback next season. Kansas City recently signed former Denver backup Brady Quinn to provide depth.

Pioli refused to get into details about his conversations with Manning and his agent, but he did say that Cassel was aware that discussions had taken place.