Peyton gets franchised

To the surprise of no one, the Colts have placed the franchise tag on quarterback Peyton Manning, yet another indication that their franchise quarterback is going nowhere even though his contract has expired.

The Colts will continue negotiating with Manning's agent, Tom Condon, but by designating him as their franchise player, the Colts will at least buy some time. Under terms of the current CBA, which is set to expire March 3, Manning would earn $23 million for the 2011 season if no new deal can be worked out. 

Manning is completing a seven-year, $99.2 million deal that he signed in 2004. He was designated the team's franchise player before that deal was worked out, too. 

The move to franchise Manning was announced last night on Twitter by team owner Jim Irsay, whose tweets are as entertaining as they are informative.