Manning: Irsay to make call on QB's future

INDIANAPOLIS, Jan. 24 (UPI) -- Indianapolis Colts owner Jim Irsay will make the decision on whether Peyton Manning returns to the team next season, the quarterback said Tuesday.

Manning told The Indianapolis Star he believes Irsay, rather new hires such as General Manager Ryan Grigson, will make the ultimate call on whether the likely future Hall-of-Famer ever dons a Colts uniform again.

The signal-caller said he has met once only briefly with the new GM since Grigson was brought on to replace the fired Bill Polian in the wake of the Colts' disastrous 2-14 season.

Irsay said last week the team will choose a quarterback with its No. 1 pick in the April NFL Draft regardless of Manning's status, and was considering Stanford's Andrew Luck or Baylor's Robert Griffin III.

"One thing he (Grigson) kind-of, sort-of told me, without really wanting to tell me, was that Irsay will be the guy I'm going to sit down and talk with," Manning told the Star. "That's going to happen at some point, but we haven't had that conversation yet because we really don't need to have that conversation yet."

Manning missed the entire 2011 season following neck surgery.

He told the newspaper he's not yet completely healthy but he is not retiring.