Aside from the 4 teams left in the Super Bowl hunt, it seems the Indianapolis Colts are making headlines almost on a daily basis. Between Peyton Manning's future (Rob Lowe Tweet below) as the starting quarterback and the almost 100% probability that the team drafts Stanford rookie Andrew Luck, Colts fans will have plenty to read about this offseason. Here are a few highlights that have happened so far:
- The Colts do some pre-Spring cleaning in the front office by firing Vice Chairman Bill Polian and General Manager Chris Polian.
- The Colts hire former Eagles director of player personel Ryan Grigson as their new General Manager.
- The Colts fire Jim Caldwell after leading the team to an NFL worst 2-14 in 2011.
Aside from the above events, the team still has to think about what they plan on doing with several key players whose contracts run out this offseason, including Robert Mathis, Jeff Saturday and Reggie Wayne. Saturday has already stated he is contemplating retirement, but this could all depend greatly on what Manning's status is as a Colt heading into the Spring. Even at 37, Saturday is still one of the best centers in the NFL.
Of course the biggest headline that is going to cover the media this offseason is the status of Manning. ESPN's Adam Schefter reported that Manning "will not push back" the date he is due a $28 million roster bonus, which is currently March 8. Owner Jim Irsay says that Manning will not be on the trade block. But one has to wonder how long he can keep an about face and make that proclamation, given that the team is in full rebuilding mode after firing the Polians and Caldwell.
In a bizarre twist to the Manning/Colts saga, Rob Lowe made a startling Tweet today (Wednesday):
Maybe if someone with some NFL credentials posted this, we might take it a bit more seriously. But considering the source, it will likely amount to nothing. Still, it's interesting that someone who has been out of the spotlight would throw out such huge news.
Perhaps doctors didn't give Manning the okay following major next surgery last year. If this is true, which I highly doubt, it definitely makes it easier on the front office to take Luck with their first pick and start him as soon as soon as 2012.
To update this news: In a recent Tweet from NFL Insider Jason LaCanfora , Peyton Manning's agent Tom Condon said it was "news to me" when asked about Lowe's recent Twitter speculation.
