In the wake of the Indianapolis Colts firing general manager Ryan Grigson, many wondered if owner Jim Irsay was closing in on hiring Peyton Manning. Another question on all our minds was whether head coach Chuck Pagano would still be with the club in 2017.
During the owner’s press conference in which he announced Grigson’s termination, Irsay answered both questions with some amount of authority.
Jim Irsay: "Peyton Manning is not in the (GM) mix."
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) January 21, 2017
Chuck Pagano is the Colts coach for 2017, per Jim Irsay.
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) January 21, 2017
Irsay said that he and Manning sat down and discussed some things but that there were never any real negotiations.
Irsay: "Peyton, I wouldn't say that he's in the picture. Peyton and I have talked. … There was never any serious negotiations."
— Albert Breer (@AlbertBreer) January 21, 2017
That said, he also didn’t rule out bringing in Manning at some point for a role within the organization.
BUT … Irsay says he would welcome the opportunity to talk to Peyton Manning about a role in the organization.
— Albert Breer (@AlbertBreer) January 21, 2017
While Irsay’s comments about Manning indicate he’s not going to be involved in personnel decisions at this time, they don’t altogether rule out the possibility that Irsay would still try to bring in Manning as the director of football operations as was previously reported.
But for now, the owner said the team is focused on preparing to go to the Senior Bowl. He said Jimmy Raye III will be heavily involved in that process and that he’d be interviewing for the position of general manager, which was speculated by many NFL insiders after Grigson was fired.
The Colts are clearly headed into a new era, and it’s one that at least one player is excited about (more on that here). Whether it amounts to more success remains to be seen. But at this point it seems clear a change was needed after two 8-8 seasons in which the Colts missed the playoffs and saw Andrew Luck suffer through injuries.