2012 NFL Free Agents: How Peyton Manning's Release Would Shape Open Market

There's a bomb shell waiting to blow up the NFL free agent market, and his name is Peyton Manning.

He and the Indianapolis Colts are set to decide a week from now whether to renegotiate their fiscal relationship or part ways, the soon-to-be 36-year-old icon potentially ditching the city and stadium that he built, bringing with him the heavily-operated neck that's born the brunt of his labor to newer pastures, whether they're any greener or not.

No greener than the $28 million he would've been penciled in for had that conglomeration of skin, muscle and bone between his head and his shoulders not become so troublesome.

Though, given the crop of signal callers set to seek employment on March 13th, they should be green enough.

Should the Colts release Manning next week, he would instantly become no worse than the second-most attractive quarterback to be had, depending on how you feel about Drew Brees.

Certainly, any team looking for a new quarterback via free agency would take a Hall-of-Fame quarterback like Manning (if healthy) over an untested Matt Flynn, a potentially fluky Alex Smith, an average Kyle Orton, a below-average Rex Grossman, a recovering Jason Campbell and a chunky Rex Grossman, among others.

Where once the Washington Redskins, the Arizona Cardinals and the Miami Dolphins would be scrambling for Flynn or Robert Griffin III, Manning would instantly become the preferred option.

Again, assuming his neck is properly healed, his triceps are strong and he can still make all the throws.

Otherwise, Manning would be nothing more than a glorified offensive coordinator, albeit a brilliant one who graduated Phi Beta Kappa from Tennessee.

Still, if Manning can be had for a cap-friendly deal that's heavy on incentives, it'd be in every quarterback-needy team's best interest to wine and dine Peyton the second he clears out his locker at Lucas Oil Stadium.

And for every other quarterback not named Manning or Brees to fall in line and hope that there's some playing time and money left for the rest of them at the end of the day.

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