Colts' Jim Irsay Ranks Top 5 NFL Players Ever; Peyton Manning in Top 10

Peyton Manning is the most important player in Indianapolis Colts history, but that's not good enough to crack Jim Irsay's list of the five best players in NFL history.

In the wake of Hall-of-Fame running back Jim Brown's death on Friday, Irsay tweeted out his personal picks for the top five players ever.

Amid some questioning from fans on Twitter, Irsay followed up by saying he would include Manning in his top 10.

Manning's on-field accomplishments stack up with anyone who has ever played the sport. He's the only player in NFL history to win at least five MVP awards, ranks third all-time in passing yards (71,940) and passing touchdowns (539) and fourth in completions (6,125).

Beyond what he did on the field for the Colts, former Indianapolis mayor Bart Peterson has acknowledged the city probably wouldn't have a football team if it weren't for Manning.

"Peyton changed Indianapolis by keeping it an NFL city," Peterson told The Athletic's Zak Keefer in August 2021. "It would have been really tough to get that stadium built without him and Tony Dungy and the other players being who they were. He gave us a lot of self-confidence. He really made us feel like we belong in the NFL."

That's not necessarily as important to Irsay as it is Indianapolis because he would still own the team regardless, but it's hard to argue any single player in the past 25 years shifted the trajectory of a franchise more than Manning.

Even the New England Patriots had at least been somewhat relevant with two trips to the Super Bowl and seven playoff appearances from 1982 to 2000 before Tom Brady became their starter.

The Colts made just three playoff appearances and won one division title over their first 14 seasons in Indianapolis before Manning was drafted in 1998.

It's a credit to Irsay he was able to put aside the Colts-Patriots rivalry and Manning-Brady debate to share what he really thinks, including ranking Brady ahead of Manning.