Peyton Manning Rumors: Cardinals Would Be Best Fit If Colts Release Star QB

Peyton Manning will have no shortage of options should the Indianapolis Colts release him, but the Arizona Cardinals would be a terrific fit for the record-setting quarterback.

Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk broke down the most likely landing spots:

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And there apparently will be several [options]. The Cardinals reportedly will jump into the bidding, as will the Dolphins. The 49ers, where another Condon client, Alex Smith, has finished a one-year contract, could make sense. As could a team like the Texans, which would become a championship contender with the addition of a top-five quarterback.

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The Cardinals finished with a respectable 8-8 record this season, which is often good enough to compete in the weak NFC west, despite brutal quarterback play from Kevin Kolb and John Skelton. Manning would provide an enormous upgrade over those two signal-callers.

Perhaps the biggest reason Arizona would work out great for Manning is Larry Fitzgerald. With all due respect to Marvin Harrison and Reggie Wayne, Fitzgerald would be the best wide receiver Manning ever had at his disposal.

The Pittsburgh product has been able to post back-to-back 1,000-yard seasons despite a revolving door at quarterback since the departure of Kurt Warner. What he would be able to accomplish with one of the game's all-time greats throwing him the ball in basically unimaginable.

Arizona also has a solid running game, led by Beanie Wells. The powerful runner gained more than 1,100 total yards despite missing two games. Indianapolis' running game really went downhill in recent years, which forced Manning to basically do it all by himself.

There have been some concerns about the Cardinals' other skill position players, but one thing Manning has done time and again is raise the play of those around him.

Wideouts like Early Doucet and Andre Roberts would watch their numbers skyrocket with Manning at the helm. You don't need elite skill to put up big numbers with Manning running the show, you just need to run the right routes and he'll get you the ball.

Manning's arrival would immediately make the Cardinals join the top-tier group of offenses, and the team's defense is already better than what he had in Indianapolis for so many years.

No final decisions have been made about Manning's future yet as he continues to rehab a neck injury, so this is all still in the rumor stage. That said, should he become available, the Cardinals should do everything within their power to bring him in.