Peyton Manning Rumors: Washington DC Mayor Smart to Advise Redskins Against QB

Washington DC mayor Vincent Gray is advising the Washington Redskins to stay away from Peyton Manning, and he couldn't be any more right.

Seriously, we need to get this guy out of public office and into the front office—he's apparently a football genius.

That may be a slight understatement to be honest, but the fact remains that Gray is spot on with his analysis of the looming Manning free agency fiasco and the Redskins potential interest in the veteran quarterback.

Dan Steinberg of The Washington Post writes down Gray's thoughts on the matter, which he shared in an interview with Bruce DePuyt of NewsChannel 8:

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“You know, I think it depends on what role he would play, Bruce,” Gray said. “But I really think the Redskins need a quarterback that they can build with for the future. You know, Andrew Luck is probably going to go to the Colts, but there’s Robert Griffin III, and there’s a couple other promising quarterbacks that are out there. We’ve kind of been down this pathway with quarterbacks who’ve been great but maybe are in the back end of their career, and even if he comes in and plays a year or two, where do we go from there?”

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The Mayor is right, the 'Skins need to stay away from Manning.

We're not even sure Manning can play up to the level of a starting NFL quarterback yet, and even if he could, just exactly how much longer would the Redskins expect that type of play?

Long enough to win a Super Bowl?

To be frank, even with Manning this team isn't complete enough to be a Super Bowl contender. By the time they could do enough building around him, Manning would be ready to hang them up.

That's assuming he's healthy and effective, which is a huge stretch.

Unfortunately the Redskins aren't an organization with the best free-agency track record—see Donovan McNabb and Albert Haynesworth for recent examples—but this is one move they can make right.

They have the chance to really improve their franchise in the 2012 NFL draft, and many feel they may make a play to move up for Baylor quarterback and Heisman Trophy winner Robert Griffin III.

While that too involves a risk, it would make much more sense to take a chance on an athletic young quarterback, rather than an old potentially washed up veteran that may not even be able to play.

Staying away from Manning makes sense, but the Redskins aren't necessarily known for making much sense. When the Mayor of a city speaks out on football-related issues, you know there may be a problem.

Hopefully the Redskins will heed the advice and make the right choice.