Contacted by a dozen teams after his name appeared on the NFL's internal personnel notice, free agent quarterback Peyton Manning has narrowed the list of teams he's considering playing for, ESPN's Chris Mortensen and Adam Schefter report.
Manning met with the Denver Broncos on Friday and will meet with the Arizona Cardinals on Sunday. The report also states the Seattle Seahawks have been attempting to arrange a meeting with Manning, but have been unable to get one.
The Miami Dolphins, the presumptive favorites for Manning's services given owner Stephen Ross' financial interest in making it happen and the organization's locale, both in terms of weather and conference, may not be as high on Manning's list as originally thought, with the report stating that Manning is "leading towards Denver".
Broncos owner Pat Bowlen flew back to Denver from his home in Hawai'i and is financially committed to landing Manning. The Broncos are an appealing option as they have an excellent defense, solid offensive line and last year showed a willingness to adapt their offense around the skills of their quarterback.
Still, it's hard to see the Dolphins being relegated to the "show" position in the race for the former Colt and not think that teams in a cold-weather city (Denver), and in the same conference as his brother Eli (Arizona), are being used to leverage a better deal in Miami.
Manning has a condo in Miami, his wife reportedly likes it there, the team is willing to let key free agents walk in order to have the cash and cap space available to sign Manning and free agent receiver Reggie Wayne, Manning's top target the last few years who played at the University of Miami and who also lives in the area in the off-season. Ross has swung wildly missed on his targets before (see Harbaugh, Jim and Fisher, Jeff), so it's certainly possible that it could happen again. But once Manning meets with the Dolphins, sees their commitment to landing him, I still think he ends up in Orange & Teal.
source: Mac's Football Blog
author: Brian McIntyre
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