Pierre Garcon -- Peyton Manning's My Pizza Mentor!!!

Pierre Garcon is gunning to run his own PIZZA EMPIRE -- after locking up deals with TWO pizza companies ... and he tells TMZ Sports he's modeling himself after another pizza legend -- Peyton Manning.

The Washington Redskins WR was hangin' at Paisano's in Virginia yesterday -- where he's the spokesman for the company -- and sporting a shirt for his new doughy endeavor Spinfire ... where pizzas are whipped up in 90 seconds.

Clearly, Garcon is betting on the pie industry to be as good to him as it has been to his former Indianapolis Colts teammate Peyton Manning ... who owns 21 Papa John's restaurants in the Denver area.

"I just followed in his footsteps," Garcon said ... "He taught me a lot ... so I'm just trying to be like him."