EARTH CITY, Mo. -- Forget the weather and the lifestyle, the Los Angeles Rams' best recruiting tool might be a little bit of Magic.
On Wednesday night's edition of "The Tonight Show starring Jimmy Fallon," legendary Laker Magic Johnson attempted to pitch Denver Broncos quarterback Peyton Manning on becoming a member of the Rams in 2016.
"I tried to talk somebody out of retirement and come to the Rams," Johnson said, pointing to Manning and laughing. "I said, 'Man, if you play again, come to the Rams.' I was working on him backstage. I will even chip in some money."
Manning began blushing and admitted that he was getting embarrassed by the proposal. Johnson then began extolling the virtues of playing in Los Angeles and reiterated his desire to see Manning become a Ram.
"We are so excited," Johnson said. "The first day they announced it, it was like 45,000 fans signed up for season tickets and I was the first in line. I used to be a season ticket holder for the Rams back when they were there as well as the Raiders. I want to cheer for him, if he doesn't retire, as a Ram. I have got my recruiting hat on right now."
Manning offered no real response other than a little bit of laughter. ESPN's Adam Schefter reported last week that the Rams had internally discussed attempting to acquire Manning should he decide to keep playing and the Broncos part ways with him. The Rams, of course, cannot publicly comment on their interest in a player on another team.
Johnson clearly has no such restrictions.