Even as he protested that he could not care less where Peyton Manning ends up, Chargers General Manager A.J. Smith still had some fun Saturday while attesting to his continuing rancor toward the First Family of quarterbacks.
"I don't know, and I really don't care," Smith said when asked Sunday if he thought Manning would end up with one of the Chargers' AFC West rivals. "I concentrate on the Chargers."
Manning has visited the Broncos, whose owner said he'll do whatever it takes to to land the four-time NFL MVP, according to the Denver Post. Meanwhile, Kansas City Chiefs owner Clark Hunt confirmed his team is interested in "one of the greatest players in the history of the league."
That's two AFC West teams among those in pursuit of Manning, who was released Tuesday by the Indianapolis Colts after a season in which he did not play due to multiple neck surgeries.
Manning's arrival in Denver was covered more widely than a typical trip by a United States President. And virtually every move on Manning's current exploratory trip that now will include at least a visit with the Arizona Cardinals is being dissected breathlessly.
So Smith can't help but hear of it. And while he sounded almost insulted to be asked his thoughts on Manning's eventual new home, Smith could not help but tweak family patriarch Archie Manning, who famously refused to allow his son, Eli, to play for the Chargers in 2004.
"I do wish him the best in whatever the Manning family decides," said Smith, who drafted Eli Manning first overall and traded him to the New York Giants for Philip Rivers and other draft picks. "I don't know why you would ask me. And I don't know why anyone is asking Peyton. If you really want to know what's going on -- what trips he's making and where he's going to play -- call Archie."