Peyton Manning explained why he won't be coaching in the NFL anytime soon
Peyton Manning is unequivocally one of the greatest quarterbacks in NFL history. He holds multiple personal records and accolades as well as two Super Bowl rings and a Hall of Fame bust in Canton, Ohio.
But when it comes to ever picking up a coach's headset and clipboard in the NFL, Manning isn't interested. And you can partially blame that on Manning's experience coaching his son's sixth-grade football team.
If you're wondering why Peyton Manning isn't coaching, take it up with his son's 6th grade football team 🤣 pic.twitter.com/iLOUCKM6zm
— The Volume (@TheVolumeSports) September 7, 2022
"I'm the offensive coordinator on my son Marshall's sixth-grade football team. We got beat in overtime on Saturday and a couple of my players asked me why I ran the ball so much in the red zone," Manning said on the Colin Cowherd Podcast this week. "So, I think coaching in my future is also out because hearing that from a couple of sixth graders is tough. Hearing that from a 32-year-old wide receiver or quarterback, 'Hey I haven't gotten the ball. What are you doing?' I think that's out."
Manning added that he doesn't think he'd want to be a general manager either — because he feels he's not qualified — but loves being a "resource" for GMs, players and coaches who like to pick his brain.
The former Denver Broncos and Indianapolis Colts quarterback doesn't lack actual in-game experience, though. Manning played in 293 total NFL games during his 18 years in the league where he won five MVP awards and was named to seven All-Pro teams and 14 Pro Bowls. He also ranks third all-time in career passing yards and passing touchdowns.
But as far as taking an official position in a team's front office or coaching staff, Manning sounds content with his current post-playing endeavors — for which there are many. The biggest and perhaps closes to the NFL is his entertainment company, Omaha Productions, which produced multiple shows like "Peyton's Places" on Emmy Award-winning "Manningcast" during ESPN's Monday Night Football broadcast.
The shows keep him close to the game — but not too close. Which is exactly what Manning learned he wanted after taking a year off following his retirement from the NFL in 2015. At the advice of his former Colts coach, Tony Dungy, Manning enjoyed his first season without playing in the league and discovered he really didn't want to be a coach or become a full-time broadcaster.
"I didn't think I'd be a very good coach," Manning said during the 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. Every time Jim Sorgi or Brock Osweiler went in, sometimes they let me call plays in the preseason and I sucked at it. Three-and-out everything single time. So I learned I didn't want to do that.
"I kind of learned what I did not want to do [during that year] and I just kind of found different things along the way that popped up because I didn't jump into something right away. Now I get to do two shows with each of my brothers."
