DUBLIN, Ohio — Peyton Manning has heard the chatter.
His good friend Adam Gase, the new Jets head coach, is in search of a general manager to pair with as he takes the struggling franchise forward after the recent firing of Mike Maccagnan. Manning has heard the rumors he was being considered for the job.
“It’s kind of hard not to hear about [the rumors],” Manning told The Post on Wednesday after playing an 18-hole pro-am alongside Tiger Woods at the Memorial. “I never heard anything from the Jets. Nobody ever contacted me.
“And,” Manning added, “I’m not sure I was qualified anyway.”
Manning, who was coached by Gase when he finished his playing career in Denver and has remained close to him, didn’t completely close the door on a career as an NFL general manager.
“Who knows?” he responded when asked if he has any aspirations to run a team. “I’m kind of busy selling insurance right now [as a spokesman for Nationwide], and our band is about to start our second tour with [Brad] Paisley, so that’s keeping me busy right now.”
In the meantime, Manning has been keeping a close eye on New York football, with his brother Eli in a battle with Giants first-round draft pick Daniel Jones out of Duke, and Gase running the Jets.
“I’m pulling for Adam,” Manning said. “I think he can do a lot of good things for Sam Darnold. Adam helped me out a lot. I was a veteran quarterback, but I was kind of starting over again in some ways. In Denver, it was kind of my second chapter. I was playing in a new system and physically, I couldn’t do certain things I used to. So I can kind of relate to what Sam is going through and learning a lot.
“Adam is a good teacher. He’s a fundamentals guy, and I think will serve Sam real well.”
When Manning came to the Broncos in 2012 following multiple neck surgeries that looked like they might end his NFL career, Gase was the quarterbacks coach. Gase then served as Manning’s offensive coordinator in 2013 and 2014 before being hired by the Bears in 2015. Manning credits Gase for helping the latter part of his career.
“For me, physically, I was having to adjust and I had a lot on my plate learning a new system,” Manning said. “I was so entrenched in the one system I had played for in Indianapolis, and he helped me adjust. He took some plays from my old playbook and incorporated them into the Denver playbook. I don’t know how that translates into what’s going to happen in New York, but that’s what Adam did for me that I was very grateful and thankful for it.”
Asked what kind of head coach he believes Gase will be with the Jets, Manning said, “He’s a hard worker, and that’s all you can ask for — a guy that’s going to be first in there and last to leave. He’s a grinder.
“It’s the offseason, and there’s a lot of analysis going on right now,” Manning went on. “I know he’s looking forward to getting to some games and getting some games under their belt. I’m pulling for him. I’ll always be indebted to him for what he’s done for me during our years together in Denver, and we’ve stayed in touch since he went to Miami.”
Asked what mode his brother Eli has been in as he competes with Jones, the sixth pick in the draft last month, Manning said: “I kind of stopped speaking on other people’s modes, whether I’m related to him or not. I never liked it when people were speaking on my mode, so Eli can probably tell you about his mode.
“I know he’s working real hard there in OTAs. I talked to him the other day. He’s excited. I’ve been to see three Giants games these past three years, so I look forward to seeing Eli play in person. I’m proud of the way he’s handled himself and kept himself in great shape.”