The Indianapolis Colts are searching for a new general manager after parting ways with Chris Ballard, and the most intriguing name to surface so far belongs to the biggest icon in franchise history. According to Dan Patrick, the Colts were exploring the idea of hiring Peyton Manning as their next GM before Ballard was even shown the door.

Let me bring you up to speed. Ballard is out in Indianapolis, and NFL insider Tom Pelissero posted on X that Ed Dodds will run the front office in the interim. The timing makes the move even more notable. The Colts sit at 2-4, the trade deadline is 22 days away, and rumors are already swirling about what Indy might do before then.

So the question becomes, who is the long-term answer?

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Dan Patrick puts Peyton Manning in the Colts GM conversation

The answer to that question may have come from a familiar voice. Patrick said live on The Dan Patrick Show that Indianapolis was already exploring the hiring of Manning as general manager before it fired Ballard. Underdog NFL shared the clip on X.

Colts have explored hiring Peyton Manning as GM, per @dpshow:pic.twitter.com/9VhXVktlif

— Underdog NFL (@UnderdogNFL) October 19, 2026

Patrick didn’t stop there. He said the Colts have offered, or plan to offer, Manning the job along with a potential stake in the franchise. In other words, Indianapolis doesn’t just want Manning to come in and consult on the GM search. It wants him running the football operation with equity in the team.

I have no reason to believe Patrick is off base here. He has been around the league for a long time, and a detail like a potential ownership stake isn’t something you casually toss out on a national show.

Is Peyton Manning the right fit to run the Colts?

There is no question that Manning is one of the brightest minds to ever play the game. He’s a Super Bowl champion, a franchise legend, and a figure who carries enormous weight in the city of Indianapolis. He also hasn’t stepped away from football since retiring. He’s front and center on the Manningcast, and he still hosts the Manning Passing Academy every year.

But some people are already pushing back on the idea, and I understand why.

Being a general manager is a grind. It’s 365 days a year of scouting, cap management, contract negotiations, trade calls, and difficult roster decisions. It’s not a job you can do part-time or from a broadcast booth. So the skepticism is fair. Is Manning truly invested enough to get into the muck that the job requires on a day-in, day-out basis? Does he even want that kind of commitment at this stage of his life?

That’s where the equity piece becomes so important. A stake in the franchise changes the conversation. It gives Manning a level of ownership and long-term control that a standard GM contract never could. If anything would convince him to take on the daily demands of the job, a piece of the team he built his legacy with might be it.

To be fair to the skeptics, we have no idea how Manning feels about any of this. There has been no indication from his side that he’s interested, and the job would be a massive departure from the life he has built since hanging up his cleats.

What comes next for Indianapolis

Don’t expect a resolution anytime soon. The season has a long way to go, and I wouldn’t expect the Colts to have a permanent general manager in place until it ends. For now, Dodds is in charge, and he’ll have to handle a 2-4 start and a trade deadline that is right around the corner.

Still, the fact that Manning’s name is in the conversation at all says a lot about where the Colts’ heads are. Indy isn’t just looking for a replacement. It’s looking for a face that can reenergize the organization and the fan base at the same time.

Nothing is close to final. But there is at least a chance that Peyton Manning will be the next general manager of the Indianapolis Colts, and that alone makes this one of the most fascinating front office searches in the league.