Breaking Down What It Would Take for Peyton Manning to Return to Colts

A report surfaced on Sunday that claims Indianapolis Colts owner Jim Irsay has already made up his mind to select Stanford quarterback Andrew Luck with the top pick in the 2012 NFL Draft and he will jettison four-time MVP Peyton Manning as soon as he can. Yahoo!'s Michael Silver made that report, and an unnamed source told him, "Luck is the guy."

While the title of this piece probably led you to believe that I think there is a way for Manning to return to Indianapolis, after doing the research I'm not sure that's possible. If the Colts are definitely sold on drafting Luck, it would be a waste to keep Manning around for a season or two while the Stanford signal-caller wears a baseball cap and holds a clipboard. He is ready to start now, and whoever drafts him needs to utilize his talents immediately.

Unless the Colts trade the No. 1 pick in this year's draft I don't see any way Manning is back in Indianapolis. That said, moving the selection in return for the wealth of picks and players that it will certainly bring back is still an option for Irsay and company.

In fact, I would argue that if Manning is even close to fully healthy, the Colts should trade the top pick and bring back a bunch of pieces that could accelerate the rebuilding process. Indianapolis went 2-14 in 2011 and it was clear that the team needs serious upgrades all over the field.

The Colts really need to improve along the defensive line and in the secondary, while their offensive line is woefully thin and could use an infusion of youth and talent. In fact, if Manning is healthy the team has a ton of pressing needs and quarterback isn't even close to the most important.

But according to Silver, Irsay's mind is made up and the Colts will bid goodbye to Manning and say hello to Luck. It would take a miracle for Manning to be back in the Circle City for the 2012 season at this point.