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| Peyton Manning Rumors: Where Will Manning Play in 2012? |
Earlier this week, Indianapolis Colts franchise icon Peyton Manning told the Indianapolis Star's Bob Kravitz that the unsettled feeling around team headquarters lately made it a bad place for healing, adding that he -- and a number of his teammates -- were close with the people who were losing their jobs in recent weeks. Some took those remarks as a sign that Peyton's time with the organization was coming to an end. After the press conference introducing Chuck Pagano as the team's next head coach, owner Jim Irsay returned fire. "He's a politician. When it comes to being competitive on a scale of one to 10, 10 being the highest, we're both 11s," Irsay said. [Editor's note: That's one more than 10, of course]. "There have been plenty of eggshells scattered around this building by him [Manning] with his competitive desire to win. I don't think it's in the [best] interest to paint the Horseshoe in a negative light, I really don't. . . The horseshoe always comes first. One thing [Manning has] always known, and he's been around it so long, you keep it in the family. If you've got a problem, talk to each other. It's not about campaigning or anything like that." Reached for comment by Kravitz on Thursday night, Manning offered his rebuttal: "At this point, Mr. Irsay and I owe it to each other and to the fans of the organization to handle this appropriately and professionally, and I think we will. I've already reached out to Mr. Irsay. I wasn't trying to paint the Colts in a bad light, but it's tough when so many people you've known for so long are suddenly leaving. I feel very close to a lot of these guys and we've done great things together. It's hard to watch an old friend clean out his office. That's all I was trying to say. "I just want to keep rehabbing and working hard, and when the time is right for Mr. Irsay and I to sit down, I look forward to a healthy conversation about my future. I've worked too hard and have such great respect and have so many great relationships inside the building and out, and it's incredibly important that those remain." In the opinion of Kravitz -- who's been on top of this whole saga -- and others, the die has already been cast, and Manning's time with the team will be coming to an end in the near future. As for Peyton's next stop, agent Tom Condon is playing cool... for now. "Peyton is under contract," Condon indicated, per USA Today. "If that changes, we'll consider the options." "The options" may include just about every team in the league. We've heard that there is a group of four particular teams that could be the front-runners -- Arizona, Miami, the Jets and Washington -- but those aren't the only four teams that would at least consider signing No. 18 should he become a free agent this spring. It was likely Irsay's plan to have his team playing in a hometown Super Bowl this season. Instead, a story in which he's playing a lead role has overtaken the game itself for many NFL fans and observers. The dust-up between Manning and the Indianapolis Colts organization ramped up a notch on Thursday, with a consensus growing that Manning's time with the club is about to end (and not very gracefully). If there is anyone to benefit from the acrimonious conclusion to his time in Indy, it's the slew of quarterback-needy teams around the NFL. So, spinning the wheel forward a bit, let's run through some potential destinations for No. 18, keeping in mind that in addition to the teams wanting Peyton, the QB himself will have to be sold on them in order to sign. Arizona Cardinals. Peyton -- and really, any QB -- would likely enjoy the Cards' arsenal of skill position players led by Larry Fitzgerald (and Fitzgerald would certainly be open to having another future Hall of Famer come to the desert). Though the Cards have somewhat of a suspect offensive line, Manning has made it work in Indy with questionable O-lines in the past. Cleveland Browns. Certainly a team in the market for an upgrade at QB over Colt McCoy and Seneca Wallace, a potential problem here could be that the Browns may not be able to sell Manning on their collection of receivers. Then again, if Manning is signed before the draft, the Browns would have the ability to add some help in that department at No. 4 overall (Justin Blackmon?) and/or No. 22 (Alshon Jeffery? Michael Floyd? Kendall Wright?). Miami Dolphins. New head coach, new OC, new QB? It's possible. And according to a report this week, the Dolphins would prefer Peyton over Matt Flynn, who head coach Joe Philbin just coached in Green Bay and who isn't coming off life-altering neck fusion surgery. Would Peyton want to play in Miami? There are some solid pieces in place, and he'd be guaranteed a home-and-home series against Tom Brady. New York Jets. This is the one that's caused the most uproar, following the report that certain anonymous Jets players would opt for Peyton over current Jets QB Mark Sanchez. If healthy, Peyton is a clear upgrade -- though that's the big question in all of this -- and the possibility of the Manning brothers both playing in the New York market is an exciting one for fans and observers alike. San Francisco 49ers. With Alex Smith likely re-signing, it doesn't appear as though the Niners are a likely destination; however, until Smith is officially back, the speculation will continue that Manning could land with Jim Harbaugh's team. An already strong run game and defense coupled with an all-time great at QB? San Francisco would instantly be amongst the favorites for next year's Super Bowl. eattle Seahawks. Perhaps the dark horse candidate for Manning, they've seldom been mentioned in the reports on Peyton's potential landing spots, though Mike Sando of the NFC West blog thinks that of the teams in his division, Seattle makes the most sense from a pure QB need perspective. With talent on the O-line, in the backfield (assuming Marshawn Lynch comes back) and receiving corps, Pete Carroll's team may be one to watch in the process. Washington Redskins. With Mike Shanahan's job possibly on the line in 2012, the Redskins are pretty desperate for some help at QB, and a rumor back on Jan. 13 linked both Peyton and long-time teammate Jeff Saturday to the Redskins in a package deal of sorts. Washington owner Daniel Snyder has been relatively silent on the free agent market recently, but this opportunity may be too much for him to pass up. The Manning story is not over yet and it will continue up to March 8th when the Colts will have to make a choice to either pay Manning the $28 million he will be owed and keep him or let him go to another franchise. Only time will tell where he will play, but for now it is fun to speculate. 
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