Seattle Seahawks: Peyton Manning Is Officially on the Loose

Come on now...don't act all surprised. We all knew this was coming. 

Peyton Manning is no longer an Indianapolis Colt.

For the moment, it's still strange, but rest assured, it's only going to get all the more strange in the coming days and weeks. Anyone who thought the hype and nonsense surrounding Peyton before the Colts released him was intense, just wait...

Granted, this isn't going to be quite as ridiculous as LeBron James "taking his talents to South Beach," but it might come awfully close. 

When you think about it, for Manning this might be a lot of fun. As a free man, he can now entertain as many options as he likes and can cause a panic by merely flying into just about any NFL city outside of a select few like Boston or Green Bay.  

In that sense, expect Peyton to savor this moment.

Sure there will be questions, doubts and whispers, but make no mistake, Manning will not be sitting by the phone for too long.  

A few weeks ago, I considered Peyton a potential target for the Seahawks, but even then, saw the potential union as a bit of a mismatch. For pure comedic purposes, it might be entertaining if he dropped by just to see what sort of reception he receives, as I can't imagine that head coach Pete Carroll and GM John Schneider will go out of their way to sign him in spite of all the rumors currently circulating. 

Seattle Times writer Jerry Brewer seems to believe...

"They wouldn't even need to change what seems to be their plan: Draft a quarterback outside of the first round and let him sit and develop on the practice field for a few years.

The Seahawks only need to spend billionaire owner Paul Allen's money—he probably lost Manning's $20 million-a-year salary in his couch, right?—on a short-term deal and brace themselves for a stretch of seasons with double-digit wins, postseason appearances and legitimate shots at an elusive Super Bowl victory."

Fair point, but I still have a really hard time believing Peyton Manning...was ever or will ever be a part of THE PLAN.

But for the conspiracy theorists among us, if you're still not convinced, it's not Peyton's itinerary you should be keeping a close eye on, but more his father's. Until Archie Manning gets off a plane at Sea-Tac, any rumor of Peyton coming to Seattle is just jibberish. 

Say what you want about the old man, but he's not about to let his son make a move this big without having a look around himself and offering his opinion first.

Whether or not Peyton listens, remains to be seen, but at the very least, we should all anticipate a crazy couple of weeks until the matter is settled. 

So buckle up 'Hawks fans and brace yourselves as your team will likely join the fray whether it wants to or not. 

Oh, and one final note...if THE PLAN all along was to sign Matt Flynn, wouldn't the mayhem surrounding Peyton would be the perfect cover for the 'Hawks to swoop in?