In January 2011, the Denver Broncos handed their front office to John Elway, a Hall of Fame quarterback with no executive resume. Within two years, he had signed a quarterback coming off neck surgeries who had been cut loose by his old team. That quarterback was Peyton Manning, and together they went on to win Super Bowl 50.
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Now, with Chris Ballard fired, the Indianapolis Colts are reportedly weighing whether the same legend could work for them as a general manager.
“Oooh, Dan Patrick just said that he got information that we should expect that the Colts’ first call will be to Peyton Manning for advice and possibly to bring him in as the next GM,” NFL journalist Andrew Perloff reported on X.
As of now, no official confirmation has come from Peyton Manning or the Colts’ side.
Indianapolis fired general manager Chris Ballard on Monday morning, following a 26-20 home loss to the previously winless Tennessee Titans. The dismissal ended Ballard’s 10-year tenure with the organization, where he had a 72-82-1 regular-season record and a 1-2 postseason record since being hired in 2017.
According to the Colts owner and CEO Carlie Irsay-Gordon, the move was a mid-season decision to avoid unnecessary delay in rebuilding the Colts into a championship unit.
While the Week 6 loss to the Titans was the breaking point, the decision to fire Ballard stems from years of stagnation and a series of roster construction failures.
In the Week 6 game, the Colts squandered a 13-0 halftime lead at home to an 0-5 division rival. To that end, the performance drew boos from the home crowd and loud stadium chants of “Fire Ballard.”
Following Andrew Luck’s shocking retirement in 2019, Ballard failed to secure a stable long-term answer at quarterback. This included cycling through stopgaps, extending Daniel Jones, and drafting Anthony Richardson Sr., who was ultimately deemed a draft bust.
Not just that, under Ballard’s leadership, the Colts only made the playoffs twice (2018 and 2020) and never won an AFC South division title. The team has also lost 11 of its last 13 games, stretching back to a late-season collapse in 2025.
So, with Ballard as the general manager, the Colts were seemingly struggling to achieve major triumphs like a Super Bowl. But what makes Peyton Manning a suitable candidate to become the new Colts GM?
The Colts’ biggest downfall under Ballard was failing to secure a franchise quarterback. Manning is one of the greatest quarterbacks in NFL history, with over 70,000 passing yards under his name, and he also played 13 seasons with Indianapolis as well.
Hence, his presence would completely overhaul how the Colts scout, draft, and develop their next quarterback. Plus, hiring Peyton Manning, who already has a statue outside the stadium, would possibly re-energise a disgruntled fan base and restore massive goodwill.
That said, it will be interesting to see if the Colts actually make an official move to sign Manning as their new general manager.