Jim Owczarski

jowczarski@enquirer.com

It was over.

Domata Peko had to talk to his wife, Anna, and his sons that the only football team he ever played for in the National Football League was no longer in the running for his services along the defensive line. It hit him over the weekend when his agents brought a firm offer to the Bengals to see if they would match.

They would not.

“That’s when we’re saying we’re probably going to have to move – that’s an option for us,” Peko said. “It was a tough one for us. My oldest son is 12. He was one year old when he got here. He basically grew up here. All his friends are here. My eight-year-old was born here, was born in Northern Kentucky. My youngest son was born in Northern Kentucky. We have roots here. And all the stuff we do in the community, the fans love us here in Cincinnati.

“So that’s the hardest part for me, is all the relationships I’ve built with the staff, with teammates, that was really hard for us. It was really emotional. It was super sad for us to leave. But, we know God’s got our back and that he has a future for us here.”

Beyond the Stripes with Domata Peko

After considering other options, the Pekos decided their new home would be in Denver, with former Bengals secondary coach Vance Joseph as its head coach and his cousin Kyle Peko on the roster.

“That’s what made my decision a lot easier, that I have relationships here with coach and my cousin that’s here,” the 32-year-old defensive tackle told The Enquirer.

“You gotta go where you feel loved and coach Vance reached out to me and he said he really wants me and you gotta go where you’re wanted,” he said. “The Broncos man, it’s a hell of an organization to go to. They’re always a contender, every year, year in and year out and it’s a great opportunity for me to come somewhere new and have a little fresh start here and try to get a ring.”

Like his longtime teammate and fellow captain on the offensive line, Andrew Whitworth, Peko called his departure bittersweet. He wished he would have heard from the Bengals in the three months between the end of the season and the opening of free agency, or gotten a suitable offer from to stay, but he sees the transition to younger players happening.

Cincinnati Bengals free agent tracker

The business of football pushed him out the door, but the business also opened others.

Peko said his ties to Minnesota Vikings head coach and former Bengals defensive coordinator Mike Zimmer made the NFC North team his second choice, but with family already in Denver and its proximity to his native Los Angeles and American Samoa, along with Joseph, the Broncos were too good to pass up.

As he gets ready to leave, there is some pain, but also heavy respect for Bengals owner Mike Brown and the front office, head coach Marvin Lewis and his staff, and a whole lot of love in Peko’s heart as this part of his NFL career comes to an end.

Long a fan favorite with a smile and personality as big as the hair that billowed out from under his helmet, Peko has been showered with love from Bengals fans since making the decision – from an avalanche of social media messages to in-person salutations as he traveled in and out of CVG to sign a two-year, $7.5 million contract with the Broncos.

“Yeah, man, it’s hard,” he said. “Everyone is coming up to me and thanking me for the years of hard work I put in. It’s really hard, man. It’s really tough for me. All I knew was Cincinnati you know? For professional football. Just being there for so many years, my church, it’s tough for us to move, to uproot out here. But it’s just part of the business. Even Peyton Manning had to leave Indy. It’s just part of the business.

“I’m going to miss everybody, but I’ve just got to move on. It’s time to take the Peko nation to Denver.”