Friday’s joint statement from Colts quarterback Peyton Manning and owner Jim Irsay was described on these pages as “a bucket of water on the burgeoning brush fire.”
The embers are getting stoked again and we aren’t referring to the news that Bruce Arians is headed back to Indianapolis to be the Colts’ new offensive coordinator. Jason La Canfora of the NFL Network is reporting that the Colts have already made their decision about Manning’s future with the team.
“According to sources who were involved in the Colts’ GM search, the organization was planning to move on from Manning weeks ago, well before this public squabble between the quarterback and his owner,” La Canfora said. “So Friday’s joint statement won’t be changing a thing.”
Per La Canfora, the team will cut their ties to Manning before the scouting combine. The combine begins on February 22nd, well ahead of the March 8th deadline currently in place for the team to give Manning $28 million or set him free.
If you’re getting tired of the speculation about what will happen in Indy, we can’t blame you. We also think there’s a good chance you’ll look back at these days fondly if everyone moves onto frenzied speculation about where Manning will go next.