Where will The Forehead go?

[PATRIOTSFANINPA]

Really? Schaub's not even healthier. Is he a better qb? Please.

Matt has been in the Texans system for years now and when healthy has improved,so yeah, Matt would probably be better for them.

I like how everyone is thinking that Manning is just going to go to his new team and coming off a year away from the game and being a bit rusty and 36 years old is going to throw for 30 TDs and 4,000 yards......no one knows what Manning will come back as....he may not be the same dynamic player he was because of the time off and new surroundings.

Even the best of all time,Montana didn't exactly light up KC when he arrived there

 

[Brady'sButtBoy]

Manning wants nothing to do with the AFC East, that's my guess. Too much drama/history with Pats to try and re-enact it with the lousy Fins. Too nutty in NY, and too nothing in Buffalo. Washington or AZ, are my first guesses, though with all due respect to Alex Smith, if Manning signed with SF they would be instant SB favorites.

 

[Haley]

You forgot the Vikings.

I expect every aging QB to peter out their career in Minnesota. It seems to be all the rage.

 

[PATRIOTSFANINPA]

Manning wants nothing to do with the AFC East, that's my guess. Too much drama/history with Pats to try and re-enact it with the lousy Fins. Too nutty in NY, and too nothing in Buffalo. Washington or AZ, are my first guesses, though with all due respect to Alex Smith, if Manning signed with SF they would be instant SB favorites.

Vernon Davis is a great TE but is there really a great WR corps in SF for Manning to throw to?

I think Crabtree is just average,in order for SF to be a SB favorite they might want to consider getting a Wallace or a Lloyd type receiver if they want Manning aboard.

 

[PATRIOTSFANINPA]

You forgot the Vikings.

I expect every aging QB to peter out their career in Minnesota. It seems to be all the rage.

I am also wondering why Cleveland is not on the list....Colt McCoy absolutely sucks and Griffin III is going to be a gamble.

 

[Gronkandez]

I am also wondering why Cleveland is not on the list....Colt McCoy absolutely sucks and Griffin III is going to be a gamble.

In McCoy's defense he has NO ONE to throw to. He has looked OK at times. I think he can be competent. They should draft Blackmon and RB in round one.

 

[ayjackson]

Seattle

Paul Allen, Pete Carroll, some talent on both sides of the ball

That's where he'll end up.

my vote too

 

[MoLewisrocks]

I am also wondering why Cleveland is not on the list....Colt McCoy absolutely sucks and Griffin III is going to be a gamble.

Because nobody actually wants to go to Cleveland...including draft picks who have no choice. What's the upside? Facing the Steelers, Baltimore and even Cincy twice a year just for the division?? Manning isn't looking for a challenge.

 

[VrabelJr]

Really? Schaub's not even healthier. Is he a better qb? Please.

The Texans adding Manning over Schaub won't put that franchise over the top. Watch Schaub play. You're clearly judging him off name recognition. He's a lot better than people realize. The AFC very likely goes through Houston or New England next year.

 

[PATRIOTSFANINPA]

Because nobody actually wants to go to Cleveland...including draft picks who have no choice. What's the upside? Facing the Steelers, Baltimore and even Cincy twice a year just for the division?? Manning isn't looking for a challenge.

Ya got a point there Mo

But the biggest thing is...Who wants to live in a sewer called Cleveland,Ohio?

 

[MoLewisrocks]

Matt has been in the Texans system for years now and when healthy has improved,so yeah, Matt would probably be better for them.

I like how everyone is thinking that Manning is just going to go to his new team and coming off a year away from the game and being a bit rusty and 36 years old is going to throw for 30 TDs and 4,000 yards......no one knows what Manning will come back as....he may not be the same dynamic player he was because of the time off and new surroundings.

Even the best of all time,Montana didn't exactly light up KC when he arrived there

Schaub is in the last year of his deal. You gonna re up him? 'Cause unless you are you might as well move on. He had lis franc surgery in November and still has to have a screw removed and replaced with a smaller one in April... He's due $7M and probably has no dead cap since he signed a 7 year deal with a low signing bonus to begin with and got an option bonus of $10M in 2010 they probably absorbed in the uncapped season. He will be 31 before camp opens. They may be thinking of moving on to Yates anyway. Let him understudy a HOF'er instead and flip Schaub to one of the QB sweepstakes losers while you still can and probably cover the cap hit on an incentivized Manning deal this season...

 

[ctpatsfan77]

Houston and SF should make a push for him. They have superior defense and very good offensive talent. Either is the SB favorite by adding him. I think the Redskins will be willing to throw the most money at him. If Miami gets him they are a very scary team. I see Peyton as being smart enough to avoid the nightmare that is the Jets. Arizona should be an interesting option for him.

Houston might not be able to keep Super Mario, let alone sign Fivehead.

 

[Huckleberry1]

I voted for Tennessee but it was more by process of elimination. I don't think the jets can do it even though they will want to find a way, they don't have the cap room. The fish could do it but i see Philbin going with Flynn, however if he is overruled by ownership then Miami will be the most likely landing place, should be interesting. Houston has a QB and Arizona has a ton in picks and cash tied up in Kolb already. Washington wants him but i really don't believe he will want to compete for a division with his brother. Seattle is a wild card, and may make a big push for him, but the weather is a real factor, playing in that climate would be tough with that condition. Cleveland simply isn't good enough to draw him in, and he wouldn't want to take the beating that division lays on him twice a year.


This is going to be an interesting sweepstakes, and a fun way to start the offseason. The feeding franzy will kill time until free agency starts. i would love to see the Jets go all in and fail. Drama Queens.


The more i think about this the less i know, it will be really interesting to see how Manning makes his decision, fit, money, or chance to compete against the best and win.

 

[DarrylS]

Gotta go with Az. small market and they treated Kurt Warner well in his last years....

Him and Larry Fitzgerald, unleashing the beast.

 

[Buchanty]

There are three major question marks to add to this question.

The first one is about fitness and reliability. The second one is economics. And the third is about Manning's ambition.

The first is of course the most significant one as most teams in the hunt will want a full examination and an evaluation of him under game conditions. His throwing exhibition (5 days last week) suggest that he still has the power and accuracy, but (and its a big but) he was putting everything in to an attempt to secure $28m and I know I would be pushing against pain and mental impediments to get that sort of reward. But knowing how he will perform under pressure and heavy hits is a complete unknown, and this will have an affect on the second issue -

Although nothing has been reported regarding the conversations between Manning and Irsay it doesn't take a Sherlock Holmes to surmise that the money was a major breaking point in their negotiations. With Irsay obviously tuned in on Andrew Luck the most he would want from Manning is two years. In the meantime he needs to rebuild the team and free agency demands much of the pot originally set aside for Manning. It would be interesting to know what Manning's lowest acceptable offer was, but I am assuming that it would be in the $30-36m for 2 year range. The divorce was inevitable. However what other teams are prepared to pay that sort of money for a 35 year QB, Favre didn't even come close. The only team that I can think of that would pay over the top would be Snyder's, but Shannahan would be able to oppose that as he does not run that style of offense. Miami or Arizona might we be willing to pay that sort of money but question 1 is always the gut checker and there is still number 3 Peyton's ambition.

There is only one thing that Peyton wants other than large amounts of money and that is rings. The second thing I suspect he is motivated by is statistics (more of this later). And Peyton knows that the best conditions for him wining a ring is with a team that is 1 QB shy of a SB run. That team also has to allow him to run the Offense his way (compliant coaches and owner), have excellent receivers and be team oriented - oh and it probable also has to be a dome team as that is where he performs best (the stats angle). Finally he probably wants to play in a division that doesn't offer too great a challenge. That last statement rules out more than half the league (AFCN, AFCE, NFCN, NFCE and NFCS) suggesting that he either stay in the AFCS or move to the west.

All in all it seems the best course is retirement as he will be unable to get issues 2 and 3 sorted out and issue no 1 is unanswered until he plays.

My vote is ESPN.

 

[Huckleberry1]

I voted Tennessee, but the more I think about the more i think Miami's ownership is going to overrule Philbin and go hard after Manning. Good weather, decent defense, good receivers, and he stays in the AFC. Philbin has coached another great QB in Rodgers and should have no problem working with Manning.

 

[ctpatsfan77]

Although nothing has been reported regarding the conversations between Manning and Irsay it doesn't take a Sherlock Holmes to surmise that the money was a major breaking point in their negotiations.

ESPN suggests there were no negotiations at all.

One source close to Irsay said that the decision was not financially driven, evidenced by the fact the owner chose not to engage in negotiations to restructure Manning's contract.

Indianapolis Colts, Peyton Manning part ways after 14 seasons - ESPN

 

[Huckleberry1]

MY favorite part of this is just how stupid Felger and Borges and the rest of the mediots look right now, as they claimed the Patriots were going to end up in trouble signing Brady while the perfectly run Colts would have no trouble with Manning. Borges bats .1000 on Patriot's predictions, if he says it then it is wrong.

 

[Buchanty]

ESPN suggests there were no negotiations at all.



Indianapolis Colts, Peyton Manning part ways after 14 seasons - ESPN

Every conversation is a negotiation of sorts. The two talked about the direction of the club, new QB and rebuilding but the money was still the gorilla in the room at $28m in bonus + 2012 salary. There are 100 ways to spin this one but you know if Peyton had been willing to take less (for sake of argument $7-10m) Irsay would have jumped at the opportunity to have one of the elite QB's tutor his #1 draft pick for 1-2 years. But Peyton wants to play and he wants to be paid as an elite QB - so the money is a big deal breaker whether its directly discussed or not.

 

[Sivy]

I want Peyton burried in the depths of the NFL. I don't give a F, I want the pats to have the easiest path to a superbowl.