Where will Manning go?
First off you have to feel for Peyton Manning and Jim Irsay at the press conference finalizing his release from Indianapolis.
The big question now is where he will land, alot of people have Miami as the top destination (which I will not dispute because it is an extremely good possiblitlity) but here is my list and why:
Kansas City Chiefs Peyton can follow in the footsteps of one of the greatest quarterbacks to ever play the game in Joe Montana. Kansas City is a quarterback away from making alot of noise in not just the AFC West but also the whole league; they have a solid group of receivers in Bowe, Baldwin and Breston, there tight end is already above average, dispite the ACL tear (which happened in late training camp so he's had plenty of time to heal) and a running back in Charles that at times resembled Chris Johnson (before he started bitching about his contract/extension). There defense is there; I won't go in depth but they'll only get better. The only negative would be that Kanas, Missouri doesn't always have the best weather BUT they would also have games in Oakland and San Diego - bad weather games are inevitable in the NFL.
Miami Dolphins The most obvious, they have the cap room and not just the cap room for Manning but for Reggie Wayne, who would be nice compliments to Brand Marshall and Devone Bess. They could also bring in Saturday and just shift Mike Pouncey over to guard, which is not a bad thing as Pouncey can play either guard position + they need an upgrade; they could also use there draft pick (8th overall) on a right tackle in Iowa's Riley Reiff - please don't let the 'his arms are to short for a tackle' come into play. Reggie Bush has also shown he can be the guy everyone thought he'd be + if they want to run the runningback-by-committee they have Daniel Thomas who will only benefit from the full off-season. The negatives would be that within the AFC East it's only Miami that has the nice weather, pending the rain, New England, New York and Buffalo all end up having a cold weather climate. But as mentioned with Kansas City, bad weather games are inevitable in the NFL.
Seattle Seahawks This is a small market team that Manning is used to. Seattle also has some cap space to work with so they to would have the option in bringing in Wayne and Saturday. Seattle's receivers aren't as bad as people think, Baldwin showed he can be productive, Obumanu (spelling?) is also solid, not star-studded but still solid, Sidney Rice is extremely talented (when healthy) - I also thought that when he was drafted in Minnesota that he'd be what they were missing since Moss, there lose Seattle's gain. Their offensive line could use some help but even though they gave up more sacks than a team would like not all of those fall on the offensive line - they would also be able to use their first rounder on a lineman (David DeCastro may be a little high to draft a guard 12th overall but he may be worth it in the long run; remember the name Steve Hutchinson?) Obviously the negatives are that it rains in Seattle and that Peyton would prefer to stay in the AFC - minor details.
I debated putting a fourth team like the Jets, Cardinals, 49ers or even the Cowboys but there were more negatives then positives for those 4 teams.
New York Jets The locker room is a mess and even though I think they'll replace Sanchez (finally) it won't be with Manning.
Arizona Cardinals I doubt they're ready to admit their mistake with Kolb only a year in.
San Francisco 49ers Jim Harbaugh has committed to Alex Smith and going back on his word would question his trust.
Dallas Cowboys That's Eli's division + if Jerry Jones is going to replace Romo it'll be with a young player from the draft i.e. if Dallas tanks this season they will draft Matt Barkley out of USC next year.
Again this all depends on his health and if he passes his physical. I personally think that whoever he signs with that team will be getting a solid, determined, hall of fame quarterback for 3 to 4 years. I also doubt this will come down to whoever pays him more or Washington would have already won, Peyton wants to win and prove to everyone he can pick up exactly where he left off.
Go get'em Peyton!