The Miami Dolphins and Washington Redskins are the names most commonly heard in any list of Peyton Manning rumors and possible landing spots. However, the new destination du jour comes from CBS Sports’ Mike Freeman who says that the Denver Broncos are one of the main teams in the running. He writes:
One team official that contacted Manning’s agent, Tom Condon, says he got the definite impression that Manning indeed has already decided where he wants to go, or, at least, the handful of teams truly in the mix. The official, who did not want to be identified, believes that Miami, Washington and Denver are the front-runners. One report states Manning has already informed the Redskins he doesn’t want to play for them.
That brings up a very interesting question as to what the team will do with Tim Tebow in such a case. He’s under contract for an amount that’s worth stashing him on the depth chart, and certainly Manning’s health comes into account. The team, in other words, will not move Tebow. However, what would the fan base think in such an instance?
Any team should be ecstatic if it wins the Manning sweepstakes and the Denver fan base would love having such a iconic quarterback finish his career at Mile High. Manning would also be an incredible mentor for Tebow in his early years and perhaps he could help put the final pieces in place for the former Florida star.
That said, the Denver fan base is already behind Tebow and the team came out and publicly stated that he would enter training camp as the No. 1 quarterback. The team was mired in quarterback controversy for most of last season, and the media scrutiny would only get far worse if Manning and Tebow were to co-exist on that roster.
But if Denver can truly win the Manning sweepstakes, then there’s no reason to back down. He’s one of those free agents where you worry about how everything will shake out later on. For now the main priority is trying to lure him.