Colts owner Jim Irsay was spurned by Jon Gruden, but he’s not done trying to make a big-name hiring in Indianapolis.
Irsay is trying to hire Peyton Manning to oversee the Colts’ front office, Jay Glazer of FOX Sports reports.
According to Glazer, Irsay’s initial plan was to have Manning and Gruden working together, with Manning as head of football operations and Gruden on the sideline. Now Gruden has said no to the coaching part, but Irsay isn’t done working on Manning.
Manning had a great playing career in Indianapolis, and Irsay is no doubt trying to capture some of the same magic that John Elway has had in Denver, where he led the team to Super Bowls as a quarterback and then as a G.M. It’s unclear at the moment whether Manning will take the job, and also unclear whether that would lead to the departure of both G.M. Ryan Grigson and coach Chuck Pagano.
What is clear is that the situation in Indianapolis still bears watching, two weeks after the season ended.