The Miami Dolphins have already started to woo Peyton Manning to south Florida with certain billboards, and soon they will be able to go after him in an official capacity with the announcement that the Colts are set to release Manning on Wednesday after a 14-year career with Indianapolis. The Dolphins’ owner Stephen Ross is reportedly “enthusiastic” over such a possibility on the free agent market.
Albert Breer writes via Twitter, “Dolphins have discussed Manning at length, and of course the owner is enthusiastic. Medical/monetary elements will be scrutinized.”
In short, the Dolphins are going to do their homework, but a team who is so blatantly rooting for a change at quarterback and for a specific player might hold the upper hand since the team has already been favored by media speculation for some time. The warm climate and the familiar surroundings of the AFC might be enough to do it. The Dolphins also have a decent young offensive core to work with and a defense that got stronger as the season wore on.
Then again, will Manning want to compete head to head with Tom Brady for the division along with the New York Jets? Perhaps he’d relish the competition, and right now there’s no way of knowing until Manning starts his official visits to potential landing spots. For now, every team will stake their claim with reasons as to why they are the preferred spot.