Conflicting Reports of Whether Colts, Peyton Manning Have Had Front Office Talks
While there has been increasing speculation entering the weekend that the franchise’s greatest player could be set to lead the Indianapolis Colts front office, there are now conflicting reports of whether Peyton Manning and team owner Jim Irsay are actually engaged in such discussions:
As of Friday, I was told by an impeccable source there was nothing happening with Manning and Colts. Now, could that change? Sure it could.
— Bob Kravitz (@bkravitz) January 1, 2017
"They've (Irsay/Manning) had discussions, but where they stand, only those 2 know. I think the ball is all in Peyton's court." -@marlinj28
— Jake Query (@jakequery) January 1, 2017
One report is from WTHR’s Bob Kravitz–longtime columnist who has covered the Colts, while the other report is from Manning’s former teammate Marlin Jackson, who participated in the team’s recent Super Bowl XLI reunion festivities along with Manning.
No one knows exactly for sure, but typically where there’s smoke, there’s some fire.
While nothing between Manning and the Colts appears imminent, it does appear that at least the idea of Manning heading the franchise’s front office has at least crossed team owner Jim Irsay‘s mind–and he may be toying with the idea.
There’s also still the issue of whether Manning would even want to take on the time consuming job of leading the Colts front office all together.
That being said, Manning is reportedly in town for former Colts general manager Bill Polian‘s induction into the franchise’s ring of honor Sunday, so he would be readily available for any potential front office discussions.
Whether such discussions will actually take place remains to be seen; however, as the Colts first and foremost have to make decisions on whether general manager Ryan Grigson and head coach Chuck Pagano will continue to lead the franchise going forward.