Legendary Indianapolis Colts quarterback Peyton Manning is set to announce his retirement in a press conference with the Denver Broncos Monday morning, which certainly clouds any possibility of him retiring as a member of his former longtime team:
We don't know this for sure, but seems whatever Peyton does tomorrow likely eliminates the idea of the 1-day contract in Indy.
— Stephen Holder (@HolderStephen) March 6, 2016
While team owner Jim Irsay previously said he “would love for Manning to retire as a Colt”–indicating the desire for a 1-day contract, that appears to be an increasingly remote possibility:
I see zero way Peyton signs a 1 day deal with the Colts. Still some bruised feelings, plus I would bet he'd find that to be contrived.
— Bob Kravitz (@bkravitz) March 6, 2016
It’s a bit of a bittersweet pill for some Colts fans to swallow, as they were able to see Manning go out on top as a Super Bowl Champion–albeit he may not actually “hang them up” with his old longtime team.
Many fans were surely hoping that Manning would eventually retire with his “real home”–the Colts, a team he played 14 magical seasons for while amassing 54,828 passing yards, 4,682 completions, and 399 passing touchdowns.
Not to mention, he became a 4x MVP, 11x Pro Bowler, and 5x First-Team All-Pro while in Indianapolis, en route to becoming one of the NFL’s all-time greatest quarterbacks. The Colts were consistently an NFL juggernaut with Manning under center–highlighted by a 2006 Super Bowl Championship.
However, at this point in his career, Manning doesn’t necessarily owe the Colts anything, and a 1-day farewell press conference with the Colts may seem to be rather forced, as well as bring up too many gut-wrenching feelings of the past.
Either way, Manning gets to end his 18 year NFL career on a happy note and go out as something he’s always been: a champion.
It’s just a little bittersweet that it may not actually be in Horseshoe Blue.