Broadcasting? Coaching? Playing? Guessing Peyton Manning’s future

Peyton Manning won’t say anything about whether he plans to retire after Super Bowl 50, so good luck getting him to talk about his future after he retires from the NFL.

We can try to guess what he’ll end up doing, though.

It’s an interesting topic because Manning has been a bigger-than-life figure in NFL history, and we can see him being a success in many different fields after he retires. But what will he do after he hangs them up? Here’s a handy guide in case Manning needs help deciding:

Playing in 2016: It seems Manning will retire after the Super Bowl. His “last rodeo” comment to Bill Belichick was a clue. But I’m not convinced he will walk away. Nobody seems to know if he has made up his mind yet.

If Manning wants to play next season, he’ll have an opportunity. I don’t believe it will be with the Denver Broncos, but other teams would be interested if he’s available. The Houston Texans pop into everyone’s mind, right? Manning clearly loves the game, he might feel after these playoffs like he has more to give if he’s healthy, and he’ll likely have an opportunity somewhere, if it’s not with Denver. All he’d need to do is say yes.

I’d bet on Manning retiring after this Super Bowl. But don’t totally rule out the possibility of him playing another year either.

Full-time pitchman: We seem to see Manning on commercial breaks as much as we do in between the ads, and he’s obviously a good salesman.

It’s not easy to be a pitchman if you’re not playing, but we’ve seen Brett Favre selling razors and jeans after retirement and he hasn’t been in the public eye much more than that. Manning is in that special class of athletes like Arnold Palmer and Michael Jordan who would do just fine selling products well after he’s done playing. But wouldn’t that be boring? Because he’ll have plenty of opportunities to be around the game after retirement …

Coach: It’s hard to see Manning just walking away from football cold turkey, though Favre pretty much did aside from some high-school coaching. It’s easy to imagine Manning being a very good coach. He has a great mind for the game and he’s well respected. You’d assume his ability to diagnose a defense and understand how to beat it would translate to coaching, whether at the position coach, coordinator or head coach level.

But here’s the truth: Coaches don’t have easy lives. They put in ridiculous, stressful hours. They also don’t have ultimate control over what happens, which might drive a great player like Manning insane. It’s hard to imagine Manning, who has young children, going into coaching. No matter how good he’d be at it.

General manager: Manning has spent the past four years around John Elway. Did Elway’s front office success make an impression?

Here’s the list of great NFL quarterbacks who have also been great GMs or coaches: Elway. That’s it. Most legendary quarterbacks don’t need a job like that. A great quarterback like Manning has a ton of money and plenty of accolades, and like coaching, being a general manager isn’t a 9-to-5 type job. Even if it was, would someone like Manning want that? He’d probably do a fine job assembling a roster, as Elway has, but it would be quite a commitment.

Broadcasting: I think everyone knows this option will be open for Manning. He’s funny, sharp and knows the game. That’s not a guarantee Manning would be a success in the booth or on a pregame show, but I think most people would figure Manning could be the next Troy Aikman or Cris Collinsworth. Maybe better. There’s no question a network would pay him nicely to find out.

it seems like this would be a great fit for Manning, if he wants it. Manning will have a ton of options (ESPN’s Tony Kornheiser brought up the possibility of Manning being the next NFL commissioner, and I can’t say that’s a bad idea, which gives you an idea of how wide the range might be for Manning), so I’m not sure being a broadcaster or over-laughing at jokes on a Sunday pregame show would be enough for him.

Owner: This one makes sense when you think about it. Fox’s Jay Glazer reported earlier this year “there is a push inside the league to have [Manning] part of an ownership group with the Tennessee Titans.” Manning is a legend there because of his University of Tennessee career. MemphisFlyer.com reported that Manning’s wife Ashley bought a 2.84 percent stake ($5 million) in the NBA’s Memphis Grizzlies in 2012, so the family has dabbled in that. There’s a potential standoff brewing with the Titans, who say the team isn’t for sale, and the NFL, which seems to have an issue with the Titans ownership structure.

Manning has made an NFL record $246.7 million in his career according to Spotrac (crazy enough, Eli Manning is second on that list with $187.7 million), and he has sold a lot of insurance and pizzas on the side. Forbes estimated Manning made $12 million in endorsements last year. I’m not sure what Manning’s net worth is, but it seems he has enough to become a significant part of an NFL ownership group and not just a silent minority partner. Then perhaps he could take on the Jerry Jones role and oversee the roster building too.

Or maybe, if Manning is a little short on cash to make a run at significant NFL ownership, he could play another year and collect another eight-figure salary.

Podcast: Running down Peyton Manning’s 2016 options in detail: