Peyton Manning Starts Throwing, Not Talking About 2012 Draft

At the moment, Peyton Manning is excited to enter the next phase of his rehabilitation, throwing, and says that it’s possible that he makes his return before the end of the 2011 season. As for Manning’s life with the Colts in 2012, the four-time MVP says that he’ll cross that bridge when he gets there.

Manning said:

“Throwing will be a part of this next progression. That is somewhat critical to my job. I will be throwing and have been doing some throwing. We have to ramp that up a little bit and answer some more questions about where we are.”

Manning has had to watch the Indianapolis Colts from the sidelines this season as he recovers from shoulder surgery. The Colts aren’t doing too well without him, but at 11-0, the Colts could earn the number one draft pick in 2012. If they do get the number one pick, many NFL analyst predict them to draft Stanford Quarterback Andrew Luck. But will the Colts have the money to keep Manning and draft Luck?

Manning told SB Nation that he’s aware of the speculation concerning the 2012 draft, but that he hasn’t been told about any plans for 2012. Manning said:

“I have not had a conversation about the 2012 draft. (Indianapolis vice chairman Bill Polian) keeps a lot of the players informed on different things, but I’ve never known who we were going to draft in years past.”

Polian told ESPN last week that money wouldn’t be an issue with drafting Luck. Polian said:

“The payment to the first-round draft choice is far less than it was under the old (collective bargaining) agreement, so you could afford that. I’m perfectly fine with that approach.”

Do you think the Colts will keep Manning in 2012? Will they draft Andrew Luck?