The Indianapolis Colts are back in the middle of another major reset, and this time the name floating to the top is one that still carries enormous weight in the city: Peyton Manning.
After a fast start that had Indianapolis sitting No. 1 in the AFC standings, the wheels came off once Daniel Jones went down. What looked like a team ready to battle in the AFC South with the Houston Texans and Jacksonville Jaguars instead slid hard over the last two weeks. The Colts entered Week 5 at 2-2, then dropped back-to-back games to the Pittsburgh Steelers and the Tennessee Titans to fall to 2-4.
That downturn cost Chris Ballard his job. Indianapolis fired the general manager after the losses, and team owner Carlie Irsay-Gordon made it clear where the organization stands.
“The Colts’ standard is “to compete for championships,”” she said in a statement, adding that “a change in leadership is necessary to meet that standard.”
Now the conversation has shifted to who comes next, and Dan Patrick, via Evan Sidery on X, reported that the Colts are aiming high. According to that report, 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.”
It would be an eye-opening move, but not one that comes out of nowhere. Sources said six years ago that Manning could one day run an organization, particularly if he had an ownership stake. If that idea still holds, the timing may finally be right.
Manning has already built a major media presence through the Manningcast, and Tom Brady has shown how much influence a former star can have in a front office setting since joining the board of the Las Vegas Raiders. If Manning’s view on stepping into a team role hasn’t changed, this would be a fascinating path for him.
For now, it’s still speculation. But the possibility of Peyton Manning back in Indianapolis is enough to get attention immediately.
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The frustration is starting to show up in the broader conversation around the team, too, with multiple outlets placing the Jets in the NFLs lower tier because of how often drives stall once they get close to scoring range. There is still some interest in what young players like Omar Cooper Jr. can add, but the more immediate question is whether the current offensive setup can clean up the spots that keep biting them before the season slips further away. [Read more 🡒]
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The Jets have not won a Super Bowl or a playoff game since 2011, and the losing seasons have piled up in the years since, but this season has offered a few signs that the tide might finally be shifting. Whether the current progress turns into something lasting is still the open question, and the next stretch of games will say a lot about whether this looks like a brief uptick or the start of something closer to the Knicks late-arriving breakthrough. [Read more 🡒]
Aaron Glenn Had To Explain A Strange Jets Sideline Mix-Up
Aaron Glenn spent part of Monday explaining a small but notable sideline mix-up from halftime, one that caught attention because it came in the middle of a game day interview. During the break, the Jets coach made a statement suggesting New York would receive the second-half kickoff, even though that did not happen.
When asked about it the next day, Glenn moved quickly to clarify what he meant, saying he was speaking more broadly about the offense needing to sustain drives rather than the specific kickoff situation. The explanation was reported by multiple outlets, and the moment was brief, but it was the kind of detail that can linger when a team is still trying to clean up its communication as much as its play. [Read more 🡒]