Peyton Manning, quarterback for the Indianapolis Colts since 1998, is a future hall-of-famer. He’s had one of the greatest careers in the history of the NFL in his 13 seasons starting, and is in the record books for a number of statistics. He’s won a Superbowl, two AFC Championships and has led the Colts to 11 the playoffs in 11 seasons. I could go on and list his accomplishments, but the matter as of now is his health.

During the 2011 offseason, Manning had surgery on his neck and was attempting to recover from it. While I feared that the aging Manning could become more injury-prone, I had no idea what would happen when the 2011 season rolled around. He was ruled out of the season opener against the Houston Texans, and veteran Kerry Collins was signed as the interim starting quarterback. Eventually, after a series of surgeries, Manning was ruled out for the season, ending any chance for the Colts to reach the Superbowl. After a horrid 2-14 season for the Colts, ending in several high-profile firings, the question of Manning’s health and future popped up.

The Colts, who will take the first pick in the 2012 NFL Draft, will most likely be taking Stanford quarterback Andrew Luck. Luck is considered the most NFL-ready quarterback in the upcoming draft, and possesses many skills that draw similarities between him and Manning. He can read defenses better than any college quarterback, has a cannon of an arm, and has the great competitiveness that Manning is known for. Luck, if Manning retires and wise coaches are brought in, could lead the Colts to another decade of dominating the AFC South. If Manning stays, I find it hard to believe that Luck could coexist with Manning or handle being a backup for a few years.

While the issue of who will start is a hot one, Manning’s health is even more important. Manning, who turns 36 this March, should seriously take into consideration the risks of continuing his hall-of-fame career. Still recovering from his neck surgery, Manning could risk permanently ending his career if he tries to come back. He is aging, and the hits he took from defenses earlier in his career are only going to feel harder if he continues to play. While Manning is a general on the football field and reads defenses with uncanny ability, his health is what he is hopefully taking into consideration the most.

If Manning were to be traded, the odds could be even worse. Take two examples, Joe Montana and Brett Favre. Montana was, and still is, considered one of the greatest and most clutch quarterbacks of all time during his tenure with the San Francisco 49ers. After being traded in 1993 to the Kansas City Chiefs, Montana only played from 1993 to 1994 with the Chiefs and retired. Favre is another quarterback headed for the hall of fame. However, his waning years proved to hurt him the most. His 2008 season with the New York Jets was lackluster and, after being traded to the Minnesota Vikings in 2009, played only two more seasons. If Manning wants a trade, then he’s asking for his career to end on a bad note,

Taking all things into consideration, Manning and the Colts have their work cut out for them. Along with an unnecessary 28 million dollar bonus coming up this February, Manning should consider that he’s past his prime and needs to step down. He’s broken NFL records and secured a spot as a future inductee into the Pro Football Hall of Fame. He terrorized defenses throughout his career, led magnificent comebacks and made jaw-dropping passes that only a truly elite quarterback could make. Because he is an expert at the position, he would make a great quarterbacks coach for the Colts. This would enable Manning to oversee the development of Luck, who will likely go to the Colts.

Retiring is not only a safe choice that Manning should make, but a smart one as well. Ending his career like Brett Favre, which he did multiple times, is the last thing I want to see happen to Manning.