The entire football community waited to hear the answer to the most important question Peyton Manning would be asked all night.

Was Super Bowl 50 the last game of his Hall of Fame career?

While many probably expected him to deflect the question to be answered another day, few expected the response he gave to sideline reporter Tracy Wolfson moments after the game was over:

Later, when he appeared on the stage with CBS play-by-play man Jim Nantz, he doubled down with another Budweiser mention when asked the same question.

This NFL.com editor’s Tweet was essentially what most of the internet was thinking about the plug:

But Anheuser Busch’s marketing communcations lead Lisa Weser took to Twitter almost immediately to deny that Budweiser was paying Manning to say such a thing:

The company also posted this to its official Twitter page:

Apparently, Manning continued his Budweiser push during an interview with CBS This Morning:

According to Bloomberg Business, the amount of “free” ad time Peyton Manning gave Budweiser on Sunday night amounts to approximately $3.2 million.

While we can maybe believe that he didn’t get paid, it does seem like there may be a potential relationship brewing there between Manning and the beer giant for his life after football.

There are, of course, alternative theories. Maybe he did it on a dare? Maybe it was a bet with Eli? Maybe he really just loves the taste of a cold Budweiser?

All we know for sure is that it was an unexpected response and quite humorous in the context of the question.