They definitely only let him go because a younger (and potentially very good) option was available. I forget the exact timeline of officially letting Manning go, but I don’t think they let him go if they aren’t guaranteed to get a QB they want by drafting in the top 2.

But that’s why I mentioned the names of the next few QB’s who were drafted in the top 2. Were they considered as much of a lock as Luck was? Enough to boot Manning? At the time, fans had no idea if Manning could still play. We didn’t know if the neck injury would ruin him. Did the Colts have a better idea of his likelihood to remain at a Pro Bowl level?

I would love for ESPN to do an oral history of that transaction/decision process as a part of Peyton’s HOF induction coverage. Surely the answer is that it has more to do with where they were in the draft (first overall) rather than the quality of the prospect available. (Because it seems to me that most teams picking first tend to fall in love with the best available QB in the draft.) If they were drafting 24th, they keep him, right?