Why Peyton Manning Is Best Served by Retiring in 2012

On Tuesday, Indianapolis Colts quarterback-for-now Peyton Manning was interviewed by ESPN's Trey Wingo to discuss, among other things, his future and his health.

Manning stated that he feels, "really good" and that his rehab from two offseason neck surgeries is on track. While he doesn't know how much longer he will be able to play, it seems as though he plans to take the field in the 2012 season as long as his recovery continues as planned.

While this is good news for Manning's fans—and even his detractors, who still understand what his presence in the NFL has meant for the game—it might not really be in Manning's short- or long-term interest to play for the Colts or any other team in 2012.

Staying with and starting for the Colts in the upcoming season is a long shot. Though Manning, in Tuesday's interview, is at peace with the fact that the ultimate decision regarding his fate in Indianapolis will come down to what Colts owner Jim Irsay decides, it's no secret that Manning would prefer to finish his professional career with his long-time team.

However, with a $28 million roster bonus owed him on March 8 and the word being that neither Manning nor Irsay are willing to reconfigure his contract, he's likely out the door before that time.

With Manning gone, the Colts will be moving on with quarterback Andrew Luck, who the team is all but guaranteed to select with their No. 1 overall pick in the 2012 draft.

That means if Manning is to play in 2012, it will have to be for some other team. However, Manning should instead give more serious consideration to retiring.

Manning, who will be 36 by the time the regular season kicks off, underwent three neck surgeries in an 18-month span. Sources speaking to Yahoo! Sports' Jason Cole reported that, while Manning's fused vertebrae have healed as expected, the nerves in his throwing arm have not, and it may take up to a year from now for him to truly know if his arm strength will ever return to where it used to be.

If that's the case, then Manning may not be able to return as a starting quarterback until the 2013 season.

That much time off, even if he rehabs constantly and tries to get into football shape, won't do much to increase—or even maintain—his value, making his addition a huge risk for any team who thinks he's the solution to their quarterback problems.

In fact, should Manning still be that far off from being able to throw consistently strong passes, he would be better off calling an end to his storied career.

While it's undoubtedly going to be hard to say goodbye to a game that he has helped shape over the last 15 years, the risk of re-injury, as well as the potential for him to look like a shell of his former self, causing fans to dismiss him as yet another narcissistic quarterback who doesn't know when to quit, should trump his desire to take the field for one final, farewell season.

It's certainly fine for Manning to be confident about his chances to play next season, but at some point, he will have to view his recovery—and lack thereof—in realistic terms. If he cannot play at the level required of a professional quarterback, that, coupled with the very real risk of being hurt again, should convince him that retirement is his best option.

It's difficult and downright depressing to think of an NFL without Manning under center. And it's disturbing to think how suddenly and yet anticlimactically his legendary career may have come to an end. But the game is bigger than Manning, and Manning's overall health and quality of life is bigger than what he wants to do on the field.

Though it's a hard reality to stomach, both for fans and for Manning himself, should the Colts not want to keep him around in 2012, it's time for him to retire.