Jim Irsay: Peyton Manning ‘Not in Picture’ for Colts General Manager Vacancy

Indianapolis Colts team owner Jim Irsay said that former legendary franchise quarterback Peyton Manning is ‘not in the picture’ for the new general manager vacancy at the team’s Saturday press conference.

Announcing the termination of general manager Ryan Grigson, Irsay said there have been no serious negotiations regarding Manning and his franchise’s general manager position:

"Jan 1, 2017; Indianapolis, IN, USA; Indianapolis Colts owner Jim Irsay inducts former president Bill Polian into the Colts Ring of Honor during halftime of the game against the Jacksonville Jaguars at Lucas Oil Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Brian Spurlock-USA TODAY Sports“You know,” said Irsay on Peyton Manning. “I wouldn’t say that he’s in the picture. Peyton and I have talked through the last year when he came in for the 10th year anniversary reunion. Him and I sat and had some time to talk alone, and I said I’d be happy to be a soundboard for him–asking what he was thinking about going forward his his career. That sort of thing.”“But there was never serious negotiations or anything like that for him coming into to become general manager…Right now, it’s something where he’s not in the mix in this process for interviewing general managers.”"

One theory to point out, which longtime Indianapolis Colts blogger Brad Wells point out, is that Manning may have always been interested in and considered for the Colts team president position previously–not general manager. Therefore, what Irsay said isn’t exactly untrue.

Given that Fox Sports Jay Glazer and other sources reported previous discussions regarding a front office role, it seems as though there were at least some discussions for a potential front office role for Manning–which may have simply not been for purely the general manager position.

That being said, Irsay did not rule out that Manning could assume a prominent front office role with the Colts franchise some time in the near future. In fact, he appears to readily encourage the possibility for Manning rejoining his franchise–who may still be soaking up his ‘early retirement’ and feels unready for a full-time football job again:

"Mar 18, 2016; Indianapolis, IN, USA; Indianapolis Colts owner Jim Irsay presents Peyton Manning with a football during a press conference at Indiana Farm Bureau Football Center. Mandatory Credit: Brian Spurlock-USA TODAY Sports“I welcome the opportunity for him and I to talk about that possibility some day that he would play some role in our organization,” added Irsay. “I think you have to remember that it hasn’t even been a year since the confetti fell from his Denver Super Bowl victory. He’s enjoying retirement, enjoying the chance not to be downed with a schedule.”"

It’s worth noting that Irsay also attested that while he’s had discussions with former Tampa Bay Buccaneers Super Bowl winning head coach Jon Gruden–as well as other ex-coaches for that matter, that they never involved actually becoming the next head coach of the Colts:

"“Not about the head coaching position,” said Irsay on his discussions with Gruden. “I talked about a ton of people about what they thought about our franchise. What did you see when you watched us play. All those sorts of things. I talked to a lot of people, a lot of ex-coaches. That sort of thing.”“I know Jon,” added Irsay. “He has a long family lineage. His dad was a coach as well, but no there was not any, I know there were reports that there was negotiations about Peyton being the general manager and Jon being our head coach. That’s not true.”"

While I’m not going to call Irsay a liar by any means–this has less of a likelihood of passing the smell test. With Irsay already declaring that head coach Chuck Pagano will be the team’s head coach again in 2017, it would make sense that he wouldn’t announce that he actively recruited his current head coach’s potential replacement.

Next: Colts Could Go In-House, Promote Jimmy Raye III as GM

Either way, it appears as though Manning will not be joining the Colts in the immediate future.

However, his potential return to the Colts franchise is something that will likely be an ongoing story for years to come until a final resolution is reached, as Irsay clearly appears interested in having Manning make a ‘Colts comeback’ in the foreseeable future for a prominent front office role.