Colts hint at retaining Peyton Manning while picking draft quarterback – NFL News
The Indianapolis Colts have started weighing their options for quarterback position when their regular quarterback Peyton Manning joins them and they also sign a draft pick next year.
Manning who did not play a single game for the Colts due to his neck injury this year is now likely to join them in next National Football League (NFL) regular season (2012).
The Colts in the meantime having lost all their games are also eligible for signing of top draft-prize next year, who is projected to be the Stanford college’s quarterback Andrew Luck.
The team however is in a fix to decide about which of the players they want to have at the quarterback position.
While the team management said that they will decide the matter after start of next draft season in April 2012, the Colts vice chairman Bill Polian believed that a possible solution of the problem could be that they keep both the
players on their active roster.
Polian in his regular radio programme on Monday night said that it would be difficult for the season’s winless Colts to make turn around without veteran Peyton Manning, even if they sign the new rookie. A solution to this could
be that they pick the draft which they deserve and keep Manning on their roster.
"Even if we were to draft a marquee guy in the first round, he's not going to come in and contribute immediately unless he's a rookie running back," Polian said. "It takes time is the point I want to make."
Under the deal terms with Manning the Colts are due to pay him $28 million in bonus in February next year and if they do so the player will remain with them until next year.
Despite this the Colts vice chairman had earlier indicated to keep both players on active roster saying that they could afford to do so. However it will be seen if they pick the top draft prize Luck next year.
Andrew Luck has already confirmed that he will be going pro from next year provided a team was ready to sign him.
The Colts who have not won a single game this year are a candidate for him. They however will have an option to trade him with any team if do not want to keep him on their active roster.
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