The Indianapolis Colts indicated on Wednesday that they'd have an update on QB Peyton Manning's neck injury soon and that update has come from ESPN's Chris Mortensen who reports Manning had surgery on his neck on Thursday morning.
Mort reports that Manning could miss 2-3 while recovering from the surgery. That would put his return sometime around November or December, which is the majority of the season.
That begs the question: Will the Colts put Manning on injured reserve?
Manning actually just got out of surgery. No plans for injured reserve as doctors monitor fusion result, per sources.
If there's even a slimmer of hope that Manning returns at some point this season then I wouldn't place him on IR. He's simply too important to the team if there's even a chance he can return for a few games, or the playoffs. If the Colts go out and lay an egg early in the season and the playoffs become unlikely, then IR becomes more of a possibility. But if I'm the Colts, it's worth keeping Manning's roster spot available until he's completely ruled out for the year.
The broader question in all of this is how this affects Manning's career. Some have suggested this type of surgery could have career-long implications. Check out SB Nation's Stampede Blue to see what Colts fans are saying about the possibility of this affecting the rest of Manning's career.