Why Peyton Manning and the New York Jets Are a Match Made in NFL Heaven

Peyton Manning will reportedly become an unrestricted free agent and the New York Jets are his best possible option for a new home.

The Indianapolis Colts will reportedly release Manning instead of paying him the $28 million roster bonus he is due. Any NFL team will be free to sign the 11-time Pro Bowler when free agency begins on March 13.

While any team can sign him, the Jets should be the ones to bring him on board as both sides would benefit equally.

Manning is 35 years old and will want to sign with a team that can contend for a title immediately. 

The Jets reached the AFC championship game in two of the past three seasons and have one of the top defenses in the NFL. They are loaded with talent and have been consistently willing to make a splash in free agency. The team has already started freeing up cap space and will likely be active in the market again this year.

With some tweaks to their roster and a little luck, the Jets could bring in Manning and some help for him on offense.

The team has been remarkably successful under Rex Ryan despite lackluster play from quarterback Mark Sanchez. The management and coaching staff has been supportive of Sanchez, but several factors may lead to his exit before next season.

First, the Jets finished 8-8 last season. Winning hides a lot, and that has been true throughout Sanchez's career. He has yet to show that he can be a reliable signal-caller, but his team has been successful so his shortcomings have been forgiven.

Next, offensive coordinator Brian Schottenheimer left the team for the same position with the St. Louis Rams. A new offense will likely compound Sanchez's struggles, and he will not have a coordinator to stick up for him the way Schottenheimer did.

Lastly, Manning is available now. Betting on Sanchez's upside over an unknown player like Matt Flynn is reasonable, but with a future Hall of Famer available, the Jets must make a change.

Manning and new offensive coordinator Tony Sparano would be starting fresh together, and be able to work with each other to implement a successful offense. There is some talent at the skill positions with Santonio Holmes on the outside and Shonn Greene in the backfield. With Manning involved, all of these players would get better. 

Manning's absence this year proved how important he really was to Indianapolis. In the MVP award was defined as the player most valuable to his team, then the former Colt should have won the award at least 10 times. The moment he steps onto the practice field with a new franchise, his offensive teammates will start to improve. 

But the most enticing part of a move to the Jets would be the offensive line. Manning is coming off a serious injury and will want his big men up front to be elite pass protectors. Guard Brandon Moore proved last season that he fits into this category, while left tackle D'Brickashaw Ferguson and center Nick Mangold are among the NFL's best at their positions.

The Jets roster and coaching staff can offer Manning everything he is looking for, but New York would be his ideal landing spot for even more reasons.

Peyton would be in the same city as his little brother Eli, and the two playing in the country's biggest city would be a lucrative marketing opportunity. The Mannings are wealthy enough, but if they both lived in the Big Apple, more hilarious SportsCenter ads would likely be made.

In addition, Manning joining the AFC East would mean two yearly battles with Tom Brady and the New England Patriots. NFL fans could ask for nothing more.

If Manning chooses to sign with the Jets, the team would instantly be one of the favorites to win the Super Bowl, making it a mutually beneficial move for both sides.

But the real winners would the NFL and its fans and this would be ideal for everyone—except Patriots fans.