Owner: Peyton Manning Was "Close" to President or GM Role With Colts

Peyton Manning nearly had a second ride as an Indianapolis Colt – this time in the front office.

At the NFL owner meetings in Arizona, Colts owner Jim Irsay revealed that the greatest player in the history of his franchise history nearly returned to the team in a top executive role.

Irsay began the conversation with Manning in 2016 during the club’s 10-year celebration of its Super Bowl XLI title. Though they never led to anything, the discussions about Manning coming aboard as either the president or general manager did get “serious,” Irsay said.

“It did get close with Peyton,” Irsay said from meetings in Arizona. “I wouldn’t say super serious close, but enough to kick the tires and say, ‘What are you thinking?’ Because my counsel is there for him whether he comes to the Colts or chooses to do something else. There was definitely some interest on both sides.”

Manning did consider coming aboard but eventually declined because he didn’t want to put in the long hours which were required for the GM role and instead wanted to spend more time with his family.

As far as Irsay knows, that hasn’t changed.

“I don’t believe he wants to pursue head coaching jobs,” Irsay said of Manning. “I talked to him a little bit about ownership. He’s got a lot of options.”

One of those options could be working in the booth for ESPN on Monday Night Football.