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:

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:

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:

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.

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.