NFL staff writer Zak Keefer of The Athletic revealed a lot of details about Andrew Luck’s football career during his six-part podcast series on the former Colts quarterback. But Keefer also reported some information that a great deal of fans probably never knew about Luck’s predecessor — Peyton Manning.
The Indianapolis Colts were in position to draft Luck at the top of the 2012 NFL Draft because the team went 2-14 in 2011 without Pro Football Hall of Fame quarterback Peyton Manning, who missed the season because of a neck injury.
The decision of whether or not to move on from Manning in favor of Luck was a difficult one for Colts owner Jim Irsay. Manning didn’t make it any easier on him.
“Manning initially pleaded with Irsay, suggesting that if the Colts were set on drafting Andrew Luck, that he, Peyton Manning, franchise legend, would stay and mentor him for a few years,” Keefer said on the second episode of the Andrew Luck podcast. “But Irsay knew — he couldn’t sit Luck behind Manning, who no one, at that point, knew if he’d ever be the same player again.”
Still, Colts fans grieved Manning’s exit. Furthermore, before his plea, Keefer also said that Manning had the most unusual plan to come back and prove the Colts were still his team.
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The Best Quarterback Prospect Since John Elway
Manning led the Colts to nine straight 10-win seasons, won four MVP awards, took Indianapolis to two Super Bowls and won the big game in February 2007. There’s no denying Manning’s place in Colts and Indianapolis sports history.
But Irsay couldn’t pass on the best quarterback prospect since before the Colts were even in Indianapolis — John Elway.
Even with Manning’s plea, Luck’s talent made it absolutely impossible to keep Manning.
“This [Andrew Luck] is a generational quarterback that everybody was saying that is the most NFL-ready quarterback since John Elway,” senior staff writer Bob Kravitz of The Athletic told Keefer. “Had the most skills, certainly, since John Elway. You don’t sit a guy like that on the bench, and especially with Peyton coming off of neck surgery.
“If Peyton starts to struggle, then what? Do you really want Peyton getting booed in Indianapolis? ‘We want Luck, We want Luck.’ It would have been a disaster.”
Salary cap-wise, it didn’t make sense to sit Luck either. The Colts saved $28 million by releasing Manning in March 2012.
Manning did capture another MVP award, play in two more Super Bowls and win a championship with the Denver Broncos, but hindsight is 20/20. In 2012, it was not clear Manning would ever be an elite quarterback again.
Manning’s Departure ‘Like Losing a Family Member’
Irsay couldn’t pass on drafting Luck and starting him immediately. But that didn’t mean Manning’s departure was going to be easy for the city. Kravitz described Manning leaving as like “losing a family member” for Colts fans and that the grief the fanbase felt was “unbelievable.”
Sports icons are often ingrained in the teams and cities where they play. Still, it’s hard to oversell Manning’s impact on Indianapolis. Keefer said the area is still reaping the benefits of the quarterback playing there.
Without No. 18, Kravitz said the Indianapolis Colts “likely” would not still exist.
“Listen, if Peyton doesn’t come here, I’m not entirely sure the Indianapolis Colts are still in Indianapolis,” Kravitz said. “I’m convinced that they are one of those teams, like the St. Louis Rams, who end up in Los Angeles.
Manning’s Unusual Plan to Return During 2011 Season
The decision to release Manning and draft Luck became clear following the 2011 season, but during the season, even following two neck surgeries, Manning continued to push to play.
That push kept going even after the Colts started the season 0-13 and were practically eliminated from the playoffs by Halloween.
“Manning was dead set on making it back and proving that this was still his team,” Keefer said. “Against the Colts wishes, the quarterback staged a closed-door throwing session late one night at the team facility. Manning’s plan, Irsay told me years later, was unprecedented in modern football. He wanted to return for the last few games of the season as the team’s red zone quarterback.”
In the corky plan, Manning wanted to take over the offense once the Colts reached inside the 20-yard line.
Keefer said that when team president Bill Polian discovered Manning’s scheme, he threatened to quit “right there on the spot.”
Irsay fired Polian during the offseason anyway, but the Colts owner reportedly had no plans of allowing Manning to return to the field without a completely healed neck.
Without the chance to get back behind center and a cheaper, younger option coming in Luck with the draft, Manning’s days with the Colts were finished.
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Peyton Manning ‘Pleaded’ to Stay With Colts in 2012: Report