If you were clinging to the hope that Peyton Manning would follow in the footsteps of either Tony Romo or John Lynch now that his playing days are long over, now might be the time to adjust your expectations. It doesn't sound like Manning will be becoming a broadcaster or general manager in the near future.

On Thursday, the former Colts and Broncos quarterback and future Hall of Famer acknowledged that he spoke to ESPN about joining the "Monday Night Football" broadcasting booth for the upcoming season, but decided against it because "it wasn't the right time." Manning also indicated that he might not ever join the booth. 

"Maybe it will never be (the right time)," Manning said.

Ever since he retired following the 2015 season, Manning has been linked to commentating gigs with both Fox and ESPN. Both destinations made sense given Fox secured the rights to "Thursday Night Football" last year, while ESPN has lost Jon Gruden to the Raiders and Jason Witten to the Cowboys over the past two years. ESPN has announced that their announcing booth for the upcoming season will be filled by Booger McFarland and Joe Tessitore, both of whom worked with Witten last season on the broadcast.

Manning has also been connected to front office jobs around the league. Just this month, it was reported that the Jets could try to hire Manning after firing general manager Mike Maccagnan. The connection made sense. The Jets' new coach is Adam Gase, who once upon a time worked with Manning as the Broncos' offensive coordinator. 

On Thursday, Manning also denied that he ever spoke to the Jets about their GM opening.

None of this should come as a surprise. It's not at all surprising Manning is frequently linked to commentating and general manager openings. 

Manning isn't just one of the best quarterbacks of all time, he's often regarded as the most cerebral quarterback ever. Anyone who watched Manning play a single game has seen him surveying a defense before the snap and making adjustments at the line of scrimmage. It's therefore assumed that Manning would be able to apply his wits to commentating or personnel decision-making.

But it also shouldn't be surprising to hear about Manning continually turning down potential full-time work opportunities. He was an NFL player for 18 seasons. He might just want a break. It's not like he needs the money, and he's also only 43 years old. This won't be the last time he gets these kinds of opportunities. 

Manning said he wants to remain "connected" to the NFL, but doesn't have any clue what he'll be doing five years from now. 

"I still stay connected, I just can't, I can't speak, I can't look into a glass and say what I'm going to be wanting to do next year or five years from now," Manning said, per ESPN. "I know I do want to stay close to it, stay connected to it ... If and when, maybe so, but I guess if I say absolutely not, or just decide you change your mind, I don't have an answer for that."