Yeah, sure. We know. It isn't a surprise and it has already been reported that Peyton Manning is going to be let go today (Wed.) by the only team that he's ever played for--the Indianapolis Colts.
And unfortunately, its something that had to happen.
The official announcement is going to be made at a Noon Wednesday presser in Indy.
Colts owner Jim Irsay did what he had to do. And it is one of the tougher decisions in Sports.
What do you do when your franchise guy ages and is due a ton of money, enough money that it would prevent you from rebuilding your team?
You do what Irsay is doing. And he had to do it this week...or he was going to pay Manning $25 million to stick around for a year or two to teach Andrew Luck the ropes while the team suffers.
And yeah, it has been messy at times. The two made some public quotes they probably regret about it, but last night (Tuesday) they flew to Indy together and seemed to be okay with what was going to happen.
WTHR caught the pair arriving at Indianapolis International Airport:
The question that now is out there: "Where does he go and is he ready to play?"
The answer isn't simple.
There are several teams that will be interested. The New York Jets, Arizona Cardinals, Cleveland Browns, Washington Redskins and a couple of other quarterback challenged teams will call.
But we think he's going to end up in Miami.
Why?
It's a team that has a lot going for themselves. Good Running Back (Reggie Bush), good receivers and a pretty good defense. Plus a former offensive coordinator (Joe Philbin) at head coach.
Will he be the Manning of old?
Probably not. But he's an upgrade for the Dolphins or any of these teams. He's not going to get a $25 million deal here and shouldn't. But for 2 or 3 years he may be a good fit.
Only time will tell if he recaptures the magic...or becomes Joe Montana in Kansas City...or Joe Namath with the Rams...or John Unitas in San Diego. (These are old school guys who played a couple of years past their prime)
We 1st met Peyton when he played at Tennessee, we've interviewed him a few times since and he's always been a fantastic interview. And he also has a sense of humor...and a good commercial pitch guy.
Here's highlights of the presser...
((HT: WISH-TV))
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