Peyton Manning was released today. He was emotional and it was genuine. He doesn’t want to finish his career in another uniform. He’s a sure-fire Hall of Fame quarterback. He has the most MVPs of any man in history. He’s the greatest quarterback of his generation (sorry, Tom Brady). Now, he’s a free agent.
I could write a thousand words about the same thing everyone else is (what a great career he’s had), or I can write a thousand words about something that everyone is talking about (where he’s going to sign). I know, I know. Both of those things have already been talked about. Read about it anyway.
If you ask me, and you did, there are only four teams likely to land the sure-fire Hall of Famer.
Miami Dolphins
There’s no secret that the Dolphins organization doesn’t trust in Matt Moore. I don’t know why, though. I think Matt Moore is a decent quarterback. Although, I do (sort of) see the point in signing Peyton to a short-term deal. Manning would come in and be the starter right away. I think he’d be able to mentor and show Moore how to improve his game over the next several years. Moore would probably benefit from that, if he thought it was best for his career.
Too bad it isn’t best for his career. He’s a good quarterback in a league where a lot of teams have starters who aren’t as good as him. I think he knows he can get a starting job. The question for the Dolphins will be simple: Win now or hope to get over the hump with an average quarterback?
The Dolphins are a couple of defensive pieces and a quarterback away from being a serious contender. Manning does seem to fill one of those holes.
Washington Redskins
It’s no secret that the Redskins need a quarterback. There’s a lot of rumors that they plan on overpaying Matt Flynn (see: Kolb, Kevin). There’s some speculation that they’ll aggressively pursue a trade with the Rams for the right to draft RG3 (or Andrew Luck) with the number two pick in April’s draft.
Either way, they need a quarterback. Peyton Manning isn’t the best physical fit for the Redskins offense, but he’s Peyton Manning.
The Redskins have a tendency to overpay unproven players or aging veterans. They’ll probably (definitely) overpay one of those two types of quarterbacks this offseason.
Kansas City Chiefs
Romeo Crennel didn’t exactly keep it a secret that he would be interested in Peyton Manning if he were to hit the market. Well, Romeo – he’s on the market. You have Matt Cassel and Kyle Orton. Those are two pretty good quarterbacks, but Peyton is better. If the Chiefs add Peyton and draft well, they have the pieces in place to be a real contender.
Arizona Cardinals
They have a lot of money wrapped up in Kevin Kolb, but it’s no secret that he’d be comfortable in Arizona. Kolb could learn from Manning, if he was willing to take a serious pay cut. Arizona could just release him, which is more likely. I mentioned it before, and I’ll do it again – I bet that Reggie Wayne ends up on the same team as Peyton. If he were to follow Peyton to Arizona, it would be a great offense. Beanie Wells can run, Larry Fitzgerald is one of the best in the game, and their defense made great strides at the end of last season. Even with San Francisco winning 11 games, this is a winnable NFC West.
Then there’s a long shot that would be a lot of fun.
Houston Texans
I think we can all agree that the Texans missed the Super Bowl last year because they were missing a quarterback. They have the best offensive line in football. They have one of the best running backs in football. They have a hungry defense.
Matt Schaub can’t stay healthy. He’s a great quarterback when he is healthy, but it’s not going to get these Texans to the Super Bowl. Signing Peyton Manning makes the Texans the best team in the NFL, right now. I don’t need to see him throw. I don’t need to see him in pads. I know that he would put this team over the top. If Reggie Wayne came along (at a discounted price), it wouldn’t even be close.
Peyton, if you want to be like LeBron, go to Arizona. They’ll probably give you the most money. If you want to win another ring and stick it to the team that is rebuilding without you, Houston is calling. And if they aren’t, you should call them.
