QB Peyton Manning is clear in his intentions: he will play football again – NFL Feature – Part Two
With all cleared and set for Indianapolis Colts’ quarterback (QB), Peyton Manning, to play football again, and the player being clear in his intentions of coming back at all costs, the ball is now in the court of Colts’ owner, Jim Irsay, to decide if he
wants the player to play for his franchise or let him move elsewhere around the league.
In the wake of looming deadline of March 08, by which Peyton Manning is due an optional bonus of $28 million, Irsay needs to make his mind at earliest. Things may get too complicated for him, otherwise.
With the player very much focused on the comeback and if he is not taken by his side, he has a number of suitors in line and waiting for his signing.
A couple of them have gone public in expressing their interest to pursue the player’s signing. One of them is the New York Jets. The team’s owner has ruled out to discard his options on Manning’s signing if he is made available by Colts at any time in the
future.
So, Irsay might end up as loser in the whole game, at the end, and he should be mindful of the fact that Colts’ fans will not forget and forgive him.
Only thing that Irsay has to do is the holding of a discussion with the player on all the pertaining matters. The present environment is conducive for him.
The career of Peyton Manning is fast approaching to its maturity and the owner will definitely have an opportunity to dictate his terms in case of he seeks renegotiation of the player’s deal.
This step will be more workable for him in the presence of other options in form of a rookie draft quarterback that his franchise has become eligible to sign off the draft season when it starts in April this year.
Even Peyton Manning himself has assured to be more flexible in his approach and dealings, whether they are with Colts or with any other his potential destinations.
So, Irsay should be willing to capitalise on the opportunity and since Peyton has left to be a short-term solution, retaining him for another couple of years would not be a costly decision for the owner.
He should also be thankful of the player for having made his side so wealthy by building up Colts profile during all those years he had played for the side.
Furthermore, the health problem might be an issue for the player, especially in the longer run. His last neck surgery was his third in past 19 months and there is no surety that he is able to recover to his full strength and that he is unlikely to suffer
the same injury again in the future.
With all these pros and cons it is unlikely for Peyton Manning to play football for more than two years before he calls it quits. He will be the main attacker and starter for any team he plays for in the future so it will be even more difficult for him to
sustain his same level of form beyond the time period of two years.
Amid all these scenarios, the right and power of the final call on Peyton Manning’s future with or without Colts lies with Irsay and sooner he makes his decision better it will be for his side.
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