INDIANAPOLIS — While one popular former Indianapolis Colts player will lead the team from the sidelines for the rest of this season, oddsmakers now say another fan favorite may take the reins next year.
Hours after the Colts announced the firing of Frank Reich Monday, Bovada released a list of the 10 betting favorites to take his place on a full-time basis.
And Peyton Manning is leading the charge.
Manning was installed as a +475 favorite to take the job, which puts him at slightly lower than 5-to-1 odds. A $100 bet on Manning would win $475 if he's named the Colts' next full-time head coach.
Peyton isn't the only former Colts quarterback among the favorites on Bovada's list.
University of Michigan head coach Jim Harbaugh, better known as "Captain Comeback" from his time in Indianapolis, is among five coaches listed at +500 odds. He played 14 seasons in the NFL, including four in Indianapolis, where he led the Colts to the AFC Championship Game during the 1995 season. He is currently in his eighth season as the head coach of the Wolverines, who are currently 9-0, a season after reaching the College Football Playoff.
Others in the group at +500 include offensive coordinators Mike Kafka (New York Giants) and Kellen Moore (Dallas Cowboys), as well Philadelphia Eagles quarterbacks coach Brian Johnson and New England Patriots linebackers coach Jerod Mayo.
Colts special teams coach Bubba Ventrone is listed at +900, or 9-to-1 odds, along with Buffalo Bills offensive coordinator Ken Dorsey, Denver Broncos defensive coordinator Ejiro Evero, and Baltimore Ravens special teams coordinator Chris Horton.
The Colts currently sit in second place in the AFC South with a record of 3-5-1, trailing the first-place Tennessee Titans, who are 5-3 on the season, but have beaten Indianapolis in both head-to-head meetings this year. Indianapolis is in Las Vegas this week to face the Raiders at 4:05 p.m. Sunday.