Even though Peyton Manning went straight to south Florida after his press conference with the Colts, the Miami Dolphins were never really a strong contender for his services. While they were always listed among the finalists, Manning’s biggest meetings and facility tours were with the Arizona Cardinals, Denver Broncos and the Tennessee Titans. Now it’s official as word comes from Jeff Darlington that Manning called the Dolphins to officially cut them from contention.
The Dolphins already let Chad Henne walk this offseason to sign with the Jacksonville Jaguars, so now they are left with Matt Moore. The team has a new head coach in Joe Philbin and it’s possible they are in on the Matt Flynn sweepstakes, which should pick up more after Manning decides his own fate. Other that Flynn, it’s possible the Dolphins will wait until the 2012 NFL Draft to take a rookie like Ryan Tannehill from Texas A&M. But the options aren’t nearly as appealing as a player like Manning was for the franchise.
The Dolphins had some great momentum near the end of last season, and Philbin has some solid talent to work with, especially on defense. But his forte is offense and getting the right guy in place at quarterback is going to be key for the Dolphins. They can now think about the next option.
For more on where Manning could land, check out the SB Nation storystream here.