The Indianapolis Colts have already gone back to the quarterback well once, and now they may be aiming even bigger.
After their reunion with Philip Rivers a year ago, the Colts are reportedly considering another familiar face for a major front-office role: Peyton Manning. Dan Patrick, via Evan Sidery on X, reported that Indianapolis is planning to pursue Manning as its next general manager.
“The Colts are planning to pursue Peyton Manning as their next general manager, per @dpshow. Indianapolis is attempting a Hail Mary to bring back their franchise legend to run the show.”
The reported move comes after a rough stretch that changed the mood around the franchise quickly. Indianapolis had opened 2025 strongly, even reaching No. 1 in the AFC standings before Daniel Jones’s injury altered everything. The team entered Week 5 at 2-2, but back-to-back losses to the Pittsburgh Steelers and Tennessee Titans pushed the Colts to 2-4.
That skid led to the firing of general manager Chris Ballard. In a statement, team owner Carlie Irsay-Gordon said the Colts’ standard is “to compete for championships,” adding that “a change in leadership is necessary to meet that standard.”
For Manning, the idea of running an organization has been floated before. Six years ago, sources said he could eventually take charge of a team, especially if he had an ownership stake. That possibility, at least in theory, was linked to his broader post-playing success and the thought that the right opportunity could come along later.
Tom Brady has already had a significant voice in the Las Vegas Raiders’ decisions since joining the board, and Manning’s name now enters the same kind of conversation. The source material calls this speculation, but it also notes that if Manning hasn’t shifted his stance after the success of the Manningcast and with his son Marshall playing at a high school level, this could be an appealing path for him.
Peyton back in Indy? We can’t wait if it comes to fruition.
In Other News...
Colts Suddenly Have A Problem That Looks Bigger Than One Collapse
The Colts loss to the Titans was ugly enough on the surface, but the way it unraveled after halftime made it feel bigger than a single bad Sunday. Indianapolis had problems all over the field, with the offense coughing up the ball and stalling in scoring range, while special teams helped turn a competitive game into a lopsided one. Even with the defense holding up better than the final score might suggest, the Colts could not string together the kind of stops and clean possessions needed to survive a collapse like that.
Daniel Jones and Jonathan Taylor were both part of the turnover mess, and the offense never recovered once the mistakes started piling up. At 2-4, the Colts are staring at a stretch that will demand a much cleaner operation on offense and far fewer hidden-yardage disasters on special teams, because the next few matchups leave little room for a repeat. [Read more 🡒]
Colts Now Have A Daniel Jones Problem They Can't Ignore
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Shane Steichen has said Jones will start again against the Minnesota Vikings, a decision that keeps the focus squarely on how much patience the Colts can afford to show. With Chris Ballard out as general manager and Steichen still holding the head-coaching job, the organizations next steps at quarterback matter even more now, because every start is beginning to look like part evaluation, part damage control, and part referendum on a decision Indianapolis can no longer pretend is routine. [Read more 🡒]
Colts Now Face Another Brutal Test As Things Start Sliding
A loss at home to Tennessee put the Colts in a tougher spot than they wanted, especially with the schedule now steering them straight into a matchup with one of the leagues most complete teams. The next stop is Minnesota, where the undefeated Vikings bring a strong record and a defense that has made life difficult for plenty of opponents.
For Indianapolis, the challenge is about more than simply bouncing back from one bad Sunday. The Colts are trying to steady things after a game that slipped away on avoidable mistakes, and now they have to do it against a team oddsmakers trust more heavily, with Minnesota laying 5.5 points and the Colts sitting at +210 on the money line. [Read more 🡒]