4 NFL Teams Peyton Manning Should Avoid Signing with in 2012

If you have yet to read it, watch it or hear it via word of mouth, the Indianapolis Colts and Peyton Manning have split.

With that, we look forward and discuss where Manning will end up for the 2012 season. Numerous franchises surely will be interested, however, here are four the future Hall of Famer should steer clear of.

Washington Redskins

Without question, the Washington Redskins need a new quarterback under center before the 2012 season begins.

Peyton Manning would definitely improve the quality of the offense, but it's not the most ideal of situations. The Redskins do have a solid defense built around veteran linebacker London Fletcher, however, the surrounding offensive talent doesn't provide much assistance.

Washington has a lackluster ground game, an offensive line needing to quickly improve, and last season, Jabar Gaffney was the leading receiver.

Not that Gaffney couldn't be reliable for Manning, but the man is 31 years old and had yet to earn a Pro Bowl selection.

In other words, the Redskins would need to land a receiver like Vincent Jackson via free agency and significantly improve the rushing attack before Manning would consider our nation's capital.

Minnesota Vikings

The Minnesota Vikings, unlike the Redskins, have a dominant rushing attack that would allow Manning to easily setup the passing game.

Unfortunately, the Vikings, much like the Redskins, don't have any standout receivers, and although Manning would make them, it's not enough to contend in the NFC North. The Lions and Packers simply have too much offensive firepower for Minnesota to immediately compete.

Plus, other than Jared Allen, the defense is vulnerable to any moderately effective offense. Last season Minnesota ranked No. 26 against the pass, No. 11 against the run and allowed an average of almost 360 total yards per game.

The Vikings offense would surely average more than 21.3 points per game (ranked No. 19) with Manning at the helm, but can we really expect them to match Green Bay and Detroit with a weak defense and adequate (at best) receivers?

No, so expect Christian Ponder to continue his development and Minnesota to address defense via free agency and in the middle rounds during the draft.

St. Louis Rams

This might be the worst possible situation for Manning, solely because the St. Louis Rams lacks in virtually every facet of the game across the board.

Offensively, the Rams ranked No. 30 in passing, No. 23 in rushing, averaged just 12.1 points per game (ranked No. 32) and moved the chains for a first down only 267 times (ranked No. 29).

Defensively, St. Louis ranked No. 7 against the pass—but defended just 484 passes (fifth-least number in 2011-No. 31 against the run, allowed an average of 25.4 points per game (ranked No. 26) and almost 360 total yards per game.

So on some level, a similar situation to the Vikings, but much worse as Steve Jackson isn't Adrian Peterson.

The Rams are also in a rebuilding process with new head coach Jeff Fisher and need to address long-term specifics. It's not a good situation for either, even with Manning's ability to help the Rams improve.

New York Jets

The New York Jets would only be a good place for Peyton Manning since it renews his rivalry with Tom Brady.

However, the Miami Dolphins can provide that and have a much better surrounding cast for support. Gang Green has two solid receivers in Santonio Holmes and Plaxico Burress, however, the Jets were one-dimensional as the rushing offense was unimpressive.

The offensive line is inconsistent, however, the defense is solid. Tony Sparano as an offensive coordinator, though, isn't all that appealing, especially after how much the Dolphins lacked during his span.

New York would definitely become AFC East title contenders with Manning, but he's also sharing The Big Apple spotlight with younger brother Eli.

Who by the way, has defeated Tom Brady in two Super Bowls. Also, Burress has said on more than one occasion about going elsewhere, instead of remaining with the Jets.

First it was the Eagles and now it's the Giants.

In short, there's been too much drama going on right now with the Jets for Manning to consider taking over for Mark Sanchez.

John Rozum on Twitter.