Before this season started there was not a single person on the planet that though that Peyton Manning could be on the trading block by 2012. Maybe it’s a sign of the world coming to an end and the Mayans foresaw the Manning trade but it’s starting to look like a real possibility for the Colt’s.
Manning who was sidelined this year with neck surgery is planning on coming back and playing the 2012 season but reports are coming in that the injury is worse than once though. The leader to one of the potent and consistent offenses over the last decade expects to be back at the helm next year but after his $90 million dollar extension the risk could be too great to keep him on the Colt’s roster and pass up on a chance to have a seamless transition at the quarterback position.
It is rare to have a young star backing up a legend and allowing your franchise to hand off its quarterback spot from one all pro bowler to another. Green Bay was able to it but was under a tremendous amount of fire for trading local hero Brett Farve but only after Aaron Rodger won his first Super Bowl and looks to be one of the best in the league did the fire storm extinguish. Most franchise doesn’t get the Joe Montanan to Steve Young option. This kind of hand off is rare and is almost never seen, some teams still have not found that franchise quarterback and the search has lasted 20 years. Most franchise live in the “glory years” of when they once had a franchise quarterback like Miami with Dan Marino or Denver with john Elway.
The Colts could end up in a situation where the closest thing to a sure thing at quarterback will being setting in the draft guaranteed to go first and the Colts could have that first pick. Indianapolis who has yet to win a game this year with their franchise quarterback sidelined could be in a position to take the number one prospect in the draft which happens to be a quarterback. Drafting Andrew Luck from Stanford who is touted as the best prospect since Manning is telling Manning that he will not be their quarterback in the future. Manning who is 35 years old, figures there is about 4 to 5 years left on his playing career and won’t be open to teaching his replacement.
Manning the creator of the Colts offensive scheme is a career 65% completion percentage, is considered on the top 3 quarterbacks in the league and first ballot Hall of Fame inductee.
Either way the Colt’s management has some real decisions to make because unless the Colt’s go on a large winning streak the option will be sitting right there and all we will hear leading up to the draft is “Will the Colt’s trade manning?”