Peyton Manning Rumors: Colts Could Be Losing Leverage with Star Quarterback

The Peyton Manning soap opera has taken another dramatic turn as we inch closer to Friday’s deadline for the Indianapolis Colts to make a decision on No. 18’s future.

Mike Lombardi of the NFL Network was on the Dennis & Callahan show in Boston Tuesday and had some very interesting tidbits on the future Hall of Famer. He believes that the Colts are better off keeping Manning because the monetary difference really is not that much:

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If they release him, it costs $16 million on their cap. If they keep him, it costs $17 million on their cap. So basically, it’s a one million difference. The biggest difference, and this is huge for everyone to understand, is it would cost [Jim) Irsay $28 million to make that difference. So for lack of $28 million, he’s still going to count on the cap. So it’s a cash issue, not a cap issue.

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In other words, the decision will not have any sort of effect on the team’s ability to sign other free agents and give their draft picks lucrative contracts.

What it Means

This is the first time we have heard about the specifics on the cap hit. The real issue now is if Irsay wants to pay Manning the $28 million bonus. Obviously he would prefer to renegotiate the deal to make it much more performance based with injury insurance, but a more likely scenario would have both parties meeting somewhere in the middle.

Lombardi believes the Colts will be trying to keep the greatest player in franchise history:

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I think now, with a new regime in place, I do believe they’re going to try to keep him there if they can

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What’s Next?

Lombardi went on to say that with the continued progress of his rehab, maybe it is Peyton who should be the one to distance himself from the team at this point.

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If Peyton is throwing better, which I’m hearing he is throwing the ball better and he does have better feeling in his arm, then now all of the sudden it becomes a different issue. Now all of the sudden, does he want to be with the Indianapolis Colts?

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This is the first time somebody has suggested Manning is the one with the leverage and I completely agree with Lombardi.

Manning, with his unpredictable neck situation, only has so much time to win another Super Bowl. He needs a team that is already on the cusp. The Colts are in complete rebuilding mode. He would have to endure some serious growing pains on the field, and pretend like all of the awkwardness of the last few months never happened.

Yeah, right.

Assuming Manning is indeed throwing like the player of old, he is now the one with leverage.

How quickly the tables have turned…

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