Peyton Manning: Trading Indianapolis Colts Quarterback Does Not Make Any Sense

The NFL draft is approaching fast, and teams are viewing their options as to who they can pick. The big story this year is where Andrew Luck will start his NFL career.

The Indianapolis Colts locked up the first overall pick in the draft and seem intent on drafting the Stanford signal-caller. I think this is a good choice and good decision for the Colts.

Cutting Peyton Manning is not.

There are several other positions that the Colts could improve on. Their defense could use a little boost and so could the running game.

However, that was not what the Colts won their Super Bowl with. From this season, it is clear that the passing game was the biggest part of this Colts team. After all, a 2-14 record tends to signal something was wrong. It was and still is imperative that the Colts get their passing game up to speed.

No offense to Dan Orlovsky or Curtis Painter, but they just aren't cutting it. Who could blame them? They were thrust into a situation that no backup would ever want. They simply did not have the experience or QB intelligence that Manning had.

There are three good reasons that I can come up with as to why it would be bad for the Colts to trade Peyton Manning.

The first is that there is always uncertainty with Andrew Luck or any highly touted QB. Yes, the scouts are all saying he is one of the most NFL-ready prospects they have ever seen. However, they've said that about a lot of other QBs, one of them being Manning's counterpart in the '98 draft, Ryan Leaf.

That isn't to say Luck is a Ryan Leaf. I think the kid has amazing talent, but you can never be sure. If the Colts keep Manning, they could have two great QBs. If one falters a bit, we could have the other step in.

The second reason is that Manning still has at least one year of great play in him. I would say three, but for now, I'll look at worst-case scenario. Manning has been one of, if not the most productive QB in NFL history. Having him around for another year would not hurt anyone. In fact, it would help the Colts in case Luck isn't totally ready yet. 

The third and most important reason is that Luck can learn so much under Manning. I'm pretty sure defensive coordinators are already having nightmares about an Andrew Luck with a year or two under Peyton Manning.

Look at other examples of that type of QB development. When the Packers had Brett Favre, they selected Aaron Rodgers as his backup. Rodgers sat behind Favre for three years because the Packers knew that he was going to be a good QB. That situation turned out pretty well.

Drafting Luck is the right decision. Let's face it, Manning's NFL career is coming to an end. He does not have that many years left. If the Colts select Luck, they have a young, up and coming QB that can last them as many years as Peyton.

The Colts have to think hard about what needs to happen. If you have a big risk, you have to have a backup plan. That is exactly why the Colts still need Peyton.

There could be, of course, a shocking pick where the Colts don't pick Luck, but that is a whole different article.