Peyton Manning to Be Released by Indianapolis and Become a Free Agent

The not-so-shocking news that Peyton Manning will be released from the Indianapolis Colts has finally been made official.

Manning, who has been with the Colts for his entire 14-season career, was due to receive a $28 million bonus if the Colts still had him on the roster after this Thursday. Manning had to sit out the entire season this year because of a neck injury that has required multiple surgeries.

The talk this offseason has been whether Manning will be able to play next year and if the nerves in his neck will be able to regenerate.

Now, the talk of the potential landing spots for Manning begins. I think that Manning will likely go to the Dolphins. They have a lot of talent in place on both sides of the ball. Their biggest shortcoming has been their quarterback.

Their defense was sixth-best in points allowed last season (and that was with a slow start), they have a new coaching staff that looks pretty darn good, and Miami owner Stephen Ross is willing to do what it takes to get Manning.

The Miami Dolphins just make the most sense from a financial and football standpoint. Manning will get top dollar from Stephen Ross, and he will be stepping into a team that just needs a quarterback to be a serious contender.

Here are two other potential suitors for Peyton Manning that I think have the best shot behind the Dolphins.

Arizona Cardinals

The Cardinals biggest draw is receiver Larry Fitzgerald. Manning to Fitzgerald would be a historic quarterback to receiver connection that you hardly ever see in the NFL.

But will that be enough to draw Manning? Chances are it won't be.

The Cardinals have an average defense. They have a good running back in Beanie Wells—who is great when he is healthy, but when he's down, Arizona has some real problems running the ball. 

I know Fitzgerald would be happy about the move, though. He hasn't had much help from the quarterback position since he had Kurt Warner throwing to him in 2008.

San Francisco 49ers

Now this is a team that I think could really tempt Manning. They have a stellar defense, a great offensive line, a great running game and (in my opinion) one of the best coaches in the NFL in Jim Harbaugh.

Manning would have a lot of help from this team next year if he went to San Fran. Their only weakness is the lack of good receivers, but they do have one of the best tight ends in the league in Vernon Davis, who showed us what he is capable of during the playoffs. 

The biggest problem here is that I don't think the 49ers are going to try to get Manning. For whatever reason, they seem to want to stick with Alex Smith, which isn't a completely terrible decision because they did make the NFC Championship game with him, but they could do so much better with Peyton as their quarterback.

So there you have it. One team that you might hear thrown out there as a landing spot is the New York Jets, but I can say confidently that Manning will not play there.

Even though the Jets have had a great defense the past couple of years, they are falling apart and don't have much of a receiving corps anymore. So, the next time you hear someone suggest the Jets, please squash that discussion instantly.

Thanks for stopping by. Let me know your thoughts.

Paul Smythe runs multiple football websites. His newest one is devoted entirely to the NFL, and can be found here: From The Pocket.