According to host Dan Patrick of ‘The Dan Patrick Show’ and his sourcing, one of the first calls that the Indianapolis Colts team ownership made on Monday, following the firing of longtime general manager Chris Ballard, was to the franchise’s former legendary (and Hall of Fame) quarterback Peyton Manning:
While this could be the Colts simply performing their due diligence
and leaving no stone unturned regarding their latest GM search, it’s not the first time that that the Colts reportedly approached Manning about rejoining the franchise—as it was previously for the franchise’s potential Team President role.
The last go around was back in early 2017 (via 1075 the Fan’s JMV) under late team owner Jim Irsay, before Ballard was hired later in that offseason as their new general manager. This latest reported attempt, if it indeed transpires, will go to his daughters, and specifically, team owner and CEO Carlie Irsay-Gordon.
In early 2017, multiple sources reported that Jim Irsay made a strong “secret” push in Houston with his private jet to pair Manning, as his new team president, with former Oakland Raiders and Tampa Bay Buccaneers Super Bowl winning head coach Jon Gruden leading along the sidelines:
While there were initial reports (from 1075 The Fan’s JMV) that Manning privately felt he wasn’t ready for an NFL GM job at that time,there was also speculation that Manning would have to receive a ‘minor’ team ownership stake to seriously consider any top NFL football leadership position as an employee:
“The question is whether Manning, whom many thinks has ownership aspirations, would do anything without equity,” wrote PFT’s Mike Florio back in early January of 2017. “Which then makes the question whether Irsay would shave off a few percentage points to ensure that the value of the franchise will be enhanced by the tireless efforts Peyton Manning would bring to the annual quest for football supremacy.”
That’s still a question that remains unclear regarding the transitioning ownership from the late Jim Irsay to his three daughters, and as Dan Patrick alluded to on Monday, Jim Irsay never considered it when posed privately previously. We’ve since seen other organizations open to this such as the Las Vegas Raiders with Tom Brady.
In my honest opinion, Manning makes more sense as the Colts’ new President of Football Operations, like the role fellow Hall of Fame quarterback John Elway previously served with the Denver Broncos and former Colts starting quarterback (and perhaps future Hall of Famer) Matt Ryan currently serves with the Atlanta Falcons.
In Atlanta, under Ryan, Ian Cunningham serves as the team’s general manager, performing the day-to-day ops.
For Manning and the Colts, this would be the ideal arrangement.
Manning oversees the football department as the new face of the Colts organization’s operations collectively, bringing in leadership, accountability, and football expertise at a higher-level—with a savvy new general manager working under him performing the heavy-lifting in football ops, working that daily grind from a player personnel evaluation, roster management, and scouting standpoint.
In fact, it’s not all that dissimilar to when Larry Bird previously served as the Indiana Pacers President of Basketball Operations, with Kevin Pritchard as general manager and VP of basketball operations way-back-when.
At any rate, whether the Colts are engaging Manning from a potential President of Football Ops, General Manager, or even as an informal consultant on “who to hire next” standpoint, it makes sense to pick the brain of one of the most brilliant football minds to have played for the franchise, when they achieved their peak success.
