Marshall thought Decker was only good because of Manning

Brandon Marshall and Eric Decker joined the New York Jets over the past two years, each having spent time with the Denver Broncos beforehand.

Marshall's experience in Denver came prior to a pair of stints elsewhere, though, so he didn't have the same luxury of playing with one of the NFL's all-time great quarterbacks.

When he finally teamed up with Decker last offseason, Marshall thought his past production was largely a result of catching passes from Peyton Manning.

"Today he told me, 'I honestly thought you were a product of Peyton (Manning). Like I didn’t believe you were good,'" Decker told Kimberley A. Martin of Newsday.

"I did," Marshall confirmed. "(I used to think) 'Man, it's not fair, they have Peyton.'"

Now having played a full season alongside Decker, leading the Jets' offense to a top 10 finish, Marshall has come to recognize his running mate's ability.

"He's probably one of the better route runners in our league," Marshall said. "And I don't think people really understand it - I didn't even really ... And then, probably during the Indy game (in Week 2), I was like, 'Wow, this dude is pretty good.'"

Marshall and Decker each surpassed the 1,000-yard plateau in 2015, accounting for an impressive 26 of the team's 33 receiving touchdowns.

A contract standoff with Ryan Fitzpatrick leaves the Jets with some uncertainty heading into the upcoming season, but the presence of the veteran tandem should keep the passing game in a position to succeed regardless.