Peyton Manning: Bruce Arians' Cryptic Statement Hints Manning Might Not Return

ESPN's Adam Schefter reported that Bruce Arians will be the Indianapolis Colts' new offensive coordinator a couple of days ago.

Schefter is now reporting that Arians has some interesting thoughts on the team's quarterback situation:

The Colts have the option of cutting Peyton Manning loose if they want. While Pro Football Talk notes that the situation is not set in stone, the Colts have until March 8th to pay Manning a $28 million option bonus.

If they do not, he becomes an unrestricted free agent.

What Does It Mean?

There are a couple of ways you can read this.

On the one hand, Arians could be suggesting that the team is hoping Manning will be back in 2012, but that he will be an entirely different quarterback. Under Arians' watch, things are going to be different.

On the other hand, you can take this to mean that the Colts have already made up their minds to cut Manning loose. There will literally be a new quarterback under center.

After all, it's worth noting that Arians did not say he's hoping Manning "can come back and get ready to go" for the Colts.

What Happens Next?

We've been waiting, and we're going to wait a while longer.

It's unclear exactly how healthy Manning is right now, and you can rest assured that the Colts are going to take as much time as they possibly can in determining how healthy Manning is. In the meantime, they will be weighing their options.

It's no secret that the Colts have plenty of incentive to let Manning go. They can save themselves a lot of money if they do, and that's money they can use on Andrew Luck if they indeed choose to draft him with the No. 1 overall pick. The franchise doesn't need to stay committed to Manning.

Judging from what Arians had to say, it's possible that the Colts aren't going to.