San Francisco 49ers Would Be Foolish to Pursue Peyton Manning in 2012

Peyton Manning is fighting as hard as he can to suit up in 2012, but the San Francisco 49ers need to stay away from the temptation to pursue him at all costs.

Jim Irsay, despite what he may say, surely has already made up his mind to cut Peyton Manning before he's due $28 million on March 8th. Manning isn't going to lay down and quit without a fight though, and there is going to be a ton of speculation about whether or not the 49ers should try and land him as a free agent.

I've already heard the arguments. People are saying that the 49ers would become instant favorites to win it all in 2012 with Manning behind center. He would make the pathetic wide receiving corps into one of the best units in the NFL, just you wait and see...

I'm not buying it. 

First off, there is the issue of Manning's health, or lack thereof. 

Jason Cole of Yahoo! Sports published a telling article earlier today that I'm sure you're aware of. He spoke to two sources with knowledge of Manning's rehabilitation. Things are coming along slowly, and one doctor had this to say:

"

Right now, Peyton is at about six months. He should have a much better idea by July or August just how far he’s going to get … even then, that’s only a part of it. You can tell about 80 percent of how the nerves and the muscles are healing by rehab. What you really have to see is how his arm holds up when he starts to throw. Does he have the same velocity on the 15-yard out? Can he throw the 60-yard pass? Can he throw for 30 minutes before his arm gets tired? Can he throw for an hour? It’s a very complicated process.

"

So, according to an expert, Manning won't even know what he's fully capable of until NFL training camps start up.

Maybe he does heal up. Maybe he could come back. It could possibly work for another team, but I don't see it working for the 49ers.

The 49ers made their success on the bed of team chemistry and team unity. Adding another untested element into a group that made such headway together has the potential to backfire, especially if Manning were to come into the scene in the middle of training camp.

Besides the "ifs," the 49ers would have to set aside valuable cap space for an acquisition of Manning's stature. This, they cannot afford to do.

Plus, the people inside the organization are seemingly set on re-signing Alex Smith to an extension, as long as it is at the "right price." Smith is likely due to pull in anywhere between $7-10 million per season (my estimation). That's too much to pay for a backup.

Oh, let's not forget that Smith did manage to lead the team to a record of 13-3 during the regular season and one game away from Super Bowl XLVI while learning another brand of offense without the benefit of any mini-camps or offseason workouts.

I can't wait to see what he could do in 2012 with an entire offseason to study alongside Jim Harbaugh. Bringing in a couple of playmakers at wide receiver through the draft and free agency wouldn't hurt, either.

The 49ers have a bunch of their own free agents to re-sign as well. There is Carlos Rogers, Dashon Goldson, Adam Snyder and Ahmad Brooks, along with so many others. 

The bottom line is this: It would be foolish to mortgage the farm in the hopes that Manning could return to his former glory. There are too many "ifs" and "maybes" in the equation, and the 49ers are better off simply continuing their current model of growth.

If it 'aint broke, don't try and fix it.

Follow @JesseReed78