Peyton Manning Has No Plans to Retire If Indianapolis Colts Cut Star QB

The Indianapolis Colts have a huge decision to make fairly soon, and if they choose to let Peyton Manning go, the elite quarterback still plans to play the game he loves. 

Manning's agent, Tom Condon, told NFL.com that Peyton was told by doctors that he can take a hit and that he expects the star QB to return to action. 

Condon was talking on NFL Network's "Super Bowl Live" show, and he mentioned that Manning won't be calling it quits. 

"Some players, when they leave a certain team, they're done. Peyton's not done," Condon said on the show. 

This Manning saga continues to heat up.

Honestly, you can't blame him for wanting to give football another shot. After all, sitting back and watching the Colts struggle so much must have been more painful than his injury. 

What It Means 

Manning is going to do everything is his power to play football next year. Whether or not he's with the Colts remains to be seen. 

Since Indianapolis has the No. 1 overall pick, it's widely believed that the Colts will draft Andrew Luck. In addition to that, Manning is due $28 million soon. If the Colts don't want to pay, out the door he must go.

Should that happen, it would create a big frenzy around the league and there would be a mad dash to sign one of the NFL's top quarterbacks. 

It's unclear if Manning will be his old self again, but having been cleared by doctors, teams in dire need of a legitimate quarterback will waste no time in taking the risk on Manning. 

What Happens Next 

This is tough to go about because of the unknown. The Colts have a lot to think about in the coming weeks, but the belief in the NFL is that they will indeed cut Manning. 

Per RotoWorld, Adam Schefter of ESPN said on SportsCenter that people around the league expect the Colts to release Manning before he gets his $28 million option bonus that is due on March 8.

Colts owner Jim Irsay tweeted that Manning didn't pass a physical and is not cleared to play, despite what has been previously reported. 

If Irsay does what is expected, the next move by Manning will be to figure out A) which teams want him, and B) where his best chance of winning will be. 

Manning will turn 36 next month. His playing days are certainly numbered—especially coming back from injury. He'll need to go to a team ready to win now, which doesn't give him a ton of options.

That being said, if he plays as well as he did before the injury, Manning can turn around any franchise with ease.