Both men have multiple MVP awards. Both men set the single-season passing touchdowns record. Both men have won at least one Super Bowl and have at least one Super Bowl MVP.
Both men have been criticized as regular-season quarterbacks only in one aspect of their career or another. Both men have missed an entire season to a fluke injury. Both have lost big games to the other.
Peyton Manning is a stand-up guy and a class act. My opinion of him was cemented on last Wednesday when he went off-script to thank the fans of Indianapolis, and cried while doing so.
Whoever Peyton Manning plays for next is irrelevant. Number 18 will forever be remembered as the man who built the city of Indianapolis, and moved the Colts from infamous (after the midnight mutiny move from Baltimore to Indy) to famous in the court of public opinion. Just as Brett Favre will be remembered by his days in Green Bay and Joe Montana in San Francisco, Manning will be remembered as a Colt and nothing else.
What comes next in his career is simply dessert for the pro football faithful.
What do we know about his current situation?
We know Peyton wants to stay in the AFC. That narrows it down to the Denver Broncos (who he visited with on Friday), Kansas City Chiefs, and Miami Dolphins. The Jets just re-signed Mark Sanchez through 2016, so they are convincingly out of the horse race.
Peyton Manning doesn't like playing outdoors unless it's somewhere warm. Advantage Miami. Manning doesn't like the media scrutiny and in the past has praised small market teams. Advantage Kansas City.
We also know that Peyton Manning likes to play in a dome and hasn't ruled out the NFC. So for kicks and giggles, let's take a look at the NFC. The Seattle Seahawks and Arizona Cardinals are the only viable teams I could see Manning play for given their cap room and quarterback situation. Jim Harbaugh has already stated that the 49ers are set at quarterback, as they're working on a deal with Alex Smith and have the 2011 second-rounder Colin Kaepernick on the bench.
Both Seattle and Arizona have similar offenses, but I'd give the edge to the Cardinals. They play in a field-of-choice where weather is a non-issue on stormy days due to a retractable roof. They also have the small market level of obscurity that might be alluring to Manning.
And how about number fifteen? Arizona happens to have one of the top five wing men in football with Larry Fitzgerald. Manning has had an ace receiver on every team he has played. There is no reason why he shouldn't expect to have one this time around.
Given everything situation on every team I have studied since Manning was released, I'd give the advantage to the Arizona Cardinals for three reasons:
1. Elite wide receiver target
2. Small market obscurity; little media scrutiny
3. University of Phoenix Stadium
The Cards have the cap room to do it and the history of success with veteran quarterbacks; see "Kurt Warner."
Peyton Manning might be the best quarterback of the modern era. He is certainly in the top two. He will go to a situation that is best for his wife, his family, and himself. And why not?
Can you really make the argument he hasn't deserved it?
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