The lobbying has begun, and Peyton Manning is beginning the process of making a decision about where he wants to play next season and his travel itinerary indicates which teams are high on his list of possible choices. The top three suitors at this point appear to be the Denver Broncos, Miami Dolphins and the Arizona Cardinals.
Unexpectedly, Manning started the process by traveling to Denver to meet with John Elway and the Broncos, according to the Denver Post. Manning planned to be in Denver on Friday night. Owner Pat Bowlen is “prepared to do whatever it takes” to make Manning the team’s next franchise quarterback, which should draw an interesting reaction from the Tebow faithful in Denver.
Adam Schefter has reported that the Arizona Cardinals are also on the list of visits that Manning is planning on his swing west from his apartment in Miami.
And Miami is still believed to be one of the favorites, although as of Friday afternoon, Jeff Darlington of NFL.com reported that the Dolphins had yet to nail down a meeting time with Manning.
Adam Schefter reported on Thursday that at least a dozen teams reached out to Manning to express interest, and the Kansas City Chiefs reportedly already provided him a complete contract offer.
Of the three at the top of his list – the Dolphins missed the playoffs, but ended the season strong after an 0-7 start, and seem to have the most pieces to put around Manning immediately. They have an extremely good defense and would have some great offensive weapons around him, including Brandon Marshall and Reggie Bush. There has also been speculation that Reggie Wayne would love to join Manning in Miami, which would allow Manning to keep one of his favorite receivers and add to the already formidable Dolphins’ arsenal.
The Cardinals have the advantage of Manning getting the opportunity to play with one of the top 3 receivers in the league in Larry Fitzgerald, and Arizona was 8-8 last seas, and would certainly be a playoff team with a healthy Manning at the helm.
Denver is an interesting possibility as well, although seems to be a bit more of a stretch. The Broncos were already a playoff team last season, and obviously Manning is a big upgrade at quarterback. But Tebow didn’t have a tremendously talented group of receivers to work with, so that would have be addressed as well. And then there’s the weather – Manning has been a dome player throughout his career, so playing outdoors in Denver would seem to be a harder sell than playing in Miami or Arizona.
The Manning camp seems focused on making a decision as early as next week, so stay tuned.
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