Irsay: No rush on Peyton decision
Indianapolis Colts owner Jim Irsay, right, talks with Mike Francesa during a visit to radio row at the Super Bowl XLVI media center. (Feb. 1, 2012) Credit: AP
INDIANAPOLIS -- Don't expect a decision on Peyton Manning's fate with the Colts any time soon.
A day after the quarterback said he has no desire to retire, Colts owner Jim Irsay indicated Wednesday that Manning's standing with the team probably won't be determined in the immediate aftermath of Super Bowl XLVI. Manning sat out the entire 2011 season while recovering from fusion neck surgery. Irsay said he'll start truly chatting with Manning about his situation within the next week and those discussions probably will extend into next month.
"We'll definitely sit down and talk after the Super Bowl, and we've already talked," Irsay said. "In terms of a timeline, I don't see that being a factor. It's something that probably, I imagine, will go into early March and that sort of thing, in terms of us having a conversation. But like I've said before, it's a serious medical thing, it's a complicated medical issue.
"You just haven't seen this in an NFL quarterback, at all. And when you try to consult doctors -- literally, worldwide -- in terms of, what are the expectations, the dangers, the risks, the aspects of coming back from it, no one can give you a definitive answer."
Manning is owed a $28 million roster bonus on March 8 and there's talk the Colts aren't going to pay that price tag with so much uncertainty surrounding his health, especially if they plan on selecting Stanford quarterback Andrew Luck with the first overall pick in April's draft. Still, Irsay said there's a true chance the date to cut that hefty check for Manning can be pushed back.
"Anything's possible if two parties choose to get together and do that," Irsay said. "So I don't think that's something that's an impossibility by any stretch."
Whenever the decision on Manning's future is made, it's going to come after lengthy dialogue with several individuals.
"The way that I'm looking at this," Irsay said, "is we just have to have some long conversations and probably even have some time in between the conversations in the month to try to determine what the best course to go is."
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