San Francisco 49ers Wise Not to Pursue Peyton Manning and Disturb Chemistry

The Niners are wise not to throw their hats into the Peyton Manning derby. With Manning now officially a free agent, many teams will flock to his doorstep, but Matt Maiocco of CSN Bay Area says the Niners won't be one of them:

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The 49ers have an "offer on the table" to scheduled free agent Alex Smith and the club is not interested in signing veteran quarterback Peyton Manning, a well-placed source told CSNBayArea.com on Wednesday.

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The Niners have tremendous chemistry with Jim Harbaugh as the head coach, and moreover, they have an identity. It would be compromising the momentum they have already built with the running game and Alex Smith to chase Manning.

We all know how great Manning has been, but no one knows what he will be.

If the routine 4500-yard passing seasons are replaced by season/career-ending injury, what are you left with?

Now you have damaged the confidence and makeup of a QB that the team has finally gotten to produce the way they had always hoped he would.

Smith was selected No. 1 overall in 2005, but last season was his first with a QB rating over 90 and over 3000 yards passing. Smith's intelligence and game management skills are perfect for the Niners' grind-it-out style.

This team and its No. 1-ranked run defense are built on that side of the ball. They're built on Harbaugh's tough and aggressive attitude. Bringing Manning into any organization means that he becomes the figurehead. That is a proposition that should appeal to a team and organization in a worse spot than the Niners.

San Francisco was 13-3 and was perhaps a botched punt return away from the Super Bowl this past January. The team does not need a re-transformation.

If you bring Manning in, that is what you get.

What happens if he doesn't pick you? The Niners would have plenty of competition for his services. Now they have damaged the confidence of Smith, if they even re-sign him. He hasn't been the most confident QB throughout his career, so this could have a negative effect on him. And if he isn't brought back at all, then the Niners have to deal with an uncertain backup situation.

The reward is not worth the risk here, and the Niners are right to stay away.