Colts: Peyton Manning Running the Team Would be Awkward
By Kyle Nishida
It appears Indianapolis Colts‘ owner Jim Irsay really wants Peyton Manning to control his team’s football operations. While the move would be a positive change, it would still be awkward to see.
Manning certainly has the smarts and the dedication to be any NFL team’s head of football operations, but he probably is not ready to be one. Though, the prospect of him one day running the Colts has everyone curious and excited.
People are probably praying for this scenario to play even more than usual when considering Manning is an upgrade over current GM Ryan Grigson. It is pretty clear the Colts will be average at best with Grigson in charge.
More from Indianapolis Colts
- The Indianapolis Colts Have a Brutal Road Schedule in 2019
- Who Could the Indianapolis Colts Target in Free Agency?
- Here is Where the Colts Will Pick in the First Round of the NFL Draft
- What’s Next For the Indianapolis Colts?
- Hey Kansas City, the Indianapolis Colts are Coming
Manning would be refreshing face to see at the top of organization, and he would be a solid reset for the entire franchise as a whole.
Unfortunately, bringing in Manning would not be as simple as everyone wants it to be. There are plenty of awkward hurdles the Colts and Manning would need to overcome on a business and personal level in order for this to work.
First of all, Manning and Irsay have an odd relationship. Irsay has constantly praised Manning’s career with the franchise, but Irsay did make the decision to cut the future Hall-of-Fame quarterback in favor of drafting Andrew Luck.
No one blames Irsay for that business decision, and it was not an easy one for him to make. Although the move was strictly business related, it can still have some personal effects on the parties involved.
It probably hurt Manning when he was cut by the organization he devoted 13 years to. He is smart enough to understand the move, but he is human and is not immune to feeling a little resentment to the franchise.
The good news is the two appear to be friends publicly. However, if they want to engage in another employer-employee relationship, they need to hash everything out again.
Also, the potential GM-star player relationship between Manning and Luck would be strange to see. Luck was the successor to Manning, but now, the predecessor Manning could become Luck’s boss five years later.
That would be an unprecedented situation, and both would have to constantly address the public the relationship because people will definitely ask about it. Each man would have grapple with that awkwardness both individually and collectively.
For Manning, his front office legacy becomes attached to Luck. Obviously, he would want to succeed at his job. However, Manning’s front office success would likely result in Luck challenging or surpassing his franchise and NFL records.
Meanwhile, things are not any easier for Luck. He spent the first five years of his career trying to escape Manning’s shadow. If Manning joins the Colts’ front office, that shadow will closely hover over Luck for the rest of his career.
For the record, both men are sharp and considerate enough to not let these issues bother them. However, it would take some time for that awkward relationship to normalize with everyone else in the locker room and publicly.
The prospects of Peyton Manning joining the Indianapolis Colts’ front office has a lot of positives to it. However, it is not as easy of a move as one may think. Multiple individuals will need to manage potentially awkward relationships.
Next: Colts: Peyton Manning is Not Ready to Run a Franchise
Overall, it is a good move to have Manning as the head of football operations. However, the potential strange relationships from that potential move could be why Manning does not want the job right now.