Known for his play-calling savvy and genius football IQ, many anticipated Peyton Manning, in his post-playing career, would make the transition into coaching. Surprisingly, that hasn’t happened yet, with Manning instead gravitating toward media, co-hosting an alternate Monday Night Football broadcast with his brother Eli while continuing to grow his entertainment company, Omaha Productions. The former Colts and Broncos quarterback has been successful in that endeavor, owing to his natural charisma and fun-loving personality.
Over six years removed from his last NFL snap, Manning has no plans to pursue coaching now or ever, arguing that field is better left to the professionals. “I didn’t think I’d be a very good coach,” said Manning while appearing as a guest on The Colin Cowherd Podcast. “I was good at calling plays when I was playing quarterback. I’m not very good when other people are playing quarterback, hence my sixth-grade offensive coordinator job so far.”
At the behest of his former coach Tony Dungy, Manning took a year to weigh his options following his retirement in 2016. Even during that transition period, Manning never gave serious consideration to coaching, citing his disastrous history of calling plays for teammates during preseason games. “They’d let me call plays in the preseason and I sucked at it,” said Manning of his past play-calling experience, relaying instructions to backup quarterbacks Jim Sorgi and Brock Osweiler through his headset. “Three-and-out, punt every single time.”
While Manning may claim he isn’t cut out for coaching, the more likely reason he isn’t on an NFL sideline is the time commitment, understandably reluctant to take on the long hours required of such a demanding profession. Manning has shied away from lucrative broadcasting jobs for much the same reason, preferring family life at home with his wife, Ashley, and 11-year-old twins, Marshall and Mosley.
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