However, Manning’s move from the horseshoe to the whole horse is somewhat surprising. While Denver won a playoff game last year with Tim Tebow under center, they are clearly inferior to both the 49ers and Titans. San Francisco finished 2011 with one of the NFL’s best records and nearly missed a Super Bowl appearance. With playmakers scattered all over the field, the only missing link was a quarterback, despite a solid year from former #1 overall pick Alex Smith. You would think that San Francisco would be the favorites for Manning’s services considering the fact that he would have had the chance to play with RB Frank Gore, WR Randy Moss, WR Mario Manningham, and TE Vernon Davis. The addition of Manning would have made the 49rs the clear-cut Super Bowl favorites. Now they are stuck scrambling to re-build their relationship with Alex Smith before he bolts for the Dolphins.
On the other side of the coin, the team that was considered by most to be the front-runner for Peyton Manning was the Tennessee Titans. Manning attended the University of Tennessee for 4 years and married his wife there, who also happens to be from the Music City. The Titans had prior free agency plans to target DE Mario Williams, DE John Abraham, and C Scott Wells, but were forced to scrap those plans when owner Bud Adams publicly stated that he would top any offer for Manning and even offered him a “lifetime contract,” which would give him a job in the Titans front office upon retirement.
Tennessee already has quarterbacks Matt Hasselbeck and Jake Locker on the roster, so Manning was not a necessity, but it would have been nice. With RB Chris Johnson, WR Kenny Britt, and one of the NFL’s top offensive lines, Tennessee seemed like the perfect fit for Peyton Manning. He would also get to play the Colts twice a year, and what competitor wouldn’t want to beat up their former team who cut them? However, those hopes were dashed when Manning announced his decision to join the Broncos.
All in all, Manning will most likely lead Denver to the playoffs as the champions of the AFC West, but that’s about as far as it will go. He would have been much more successful had he chosen San Francisco or Tennessee as his last stop in the NFL. Now the only question left to answer here is: Where will Tim Tebow be in 2012? And that story is to be continued…
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