Colts willing to consider drafting Luck

Associated Press

INDIANAPOLIS

Money won’t deter the Colts from taking a quarterback in April’s draft.

They just have to make sure they’ve got the right man to succeed Peyton Manning.

Indianapolis vice chairman Bill Polian told radio listeners Monday night that the Colts could afford to keep Manning on the roster next season and still use their first-round draft pick on another franchise quarterback without sacrificing competitiveness.

“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,” Polian told a caller. “I’m perfectly fine with that approach.”

It would be a pricey move.

Manning agreed to a five-year contract worth $90 million in July, a deal that includes a $28 million bonus payment due in February. Manning hasn’t played since having neck surgery in May and has barely practiced since agreeing to the deal. If the Colts opt out of Manning’s deal, the four-time league MVP would become a free agent.

At 0-11, Indianapolis also holds a two-game lead in the chase for the No. 1 draft pick — a slot that most analysts believe will be used on Stanford quarterback Andrew Luck.

Last year’s top pick, Cam Newton, signed a four-year contract worth more than $22 million, meager compared to the six-year, $78 million deal St. Louis quarterback Sam Bradford signed in 2009 as the No. 1 overall pick.

While Polian reiterated his previous position that this is the time to select Manning’s successor if they find the right quarterback, Polian has declined to specifically talk about Luck, who some call the best quarterback prospect since the Colts selected Manning No. 1 overall in 1998. And Polian insists he’s not even sure where Luck fits in this year’s draft yet.

“A lot of names are being bandied about and Andrew Luck is one of them,” he said. “He can go back to school if he wants, and those guys don’t have to make that decision until Jan. 15, so they’re not even part of the equation yet.”