The second, then, is if Manning will ever play football again. So on Friday afternoon, I asked Manning's agent, Tom Condon, what the chances of his client's return are.
"I would think that we're at 100 percent," Condon said. Earlier in the week, Eli and Peyton's older brother, Cooper Manning said "anyone predicting what will happen now going forward is just wasting their breath."
Condon did concede that this is a period of uncertainty for the middle Manning brother as the youngest prepares for his second Super Bowl appearance. On Thursday night, Manning's spinal surgeon, Dr. Robert Watkins, "cleared" the quarterback to play. The good news, according to Condon, is that the nerve regeneration has commenced, though he was unclear about the pace of recovery.
The next milepost is the well-publicized date of March 8, when a $28 million option bonus is due from the Colts.
That, for all intents and purposes, is fish-or-cut-bait time for Indianapolis. Manning's camp could agree to push the deadline back, but has shown no inclination to do so yet, and claims the Colts haven't even approached them about the possibility.
"We've never even discussed it," Condon said. Peyton understands that at some point the relationship and the good times and the good feelings that they've had with each other have to be meshed with a business decision. Condon also said that Manning is OK with whatever decision the Colts make. The agent emphasized, "It'd be great to start and finish in the same place," and firmed Manning's desire to stay.
"I certainly think with a new general manager, a new head coach, the first pick in the draft, a couple of really good quarterbacks available with (Robert Griffin III) and Andrew (Luck), everyone understands that's certainly a possibility," Condon said. "As much as he would love to finish his career as a Colt, if that's not going to happen, then there certainly won't be any hard feelings on his part," Condon said. It's just that there's a business part to this football, too, and he's well-aware of that."
