Peyton Manning: John Elway, Denver Broncos Should Make Major Push for QB

On Wednesday afternoon, the inevitable happened. 

The Indianapolis Colts said farewell to their greatest player in franchise history, Peyton Manning, and turned the page to a new era which will begin in next month's NFL draft with Andrew Luck. 

So now the question becomes, where should Manning go?

Michael Silver wrote in his column on Yahoo! Sports that one of the best targets for Manning would be to go to the Denver Broncos. 

This is definitely an interesting scenario that makes sense for him and the organization. 

Although Houston and San Francisco are more attractive destinations with stingy defenses that are primed to succeed with an elite quarterback like Manning, it doesn't seem likely that Manning would go to any of those destinations.

First of all, Houston is in the same division as the Colts. Hopping on board with the Texans might not be the ideal move in Manning's heart because of his attachment with the Colts. He was highly emotional during his press conference today, and the notion of Manning playing for his former team's biggest divisional rival does not seem conceivable.

Secondly, San Francisco will probably hang on with Alex Smith after he broke out this past season. He earned a chance to be the team's starter and was a Kyle Williams muffed kick away from going to the Super Bowl.

It might not be the smartest move for the 49ers. They can easily become the league favorite for the Super Bowl if they get Manning. They have an elite defense, great coach and solid running game, and they would solve their red-zone problems with Peyton.

So why not Denver?

He gets to play in the NFL's weakest division. In that division, he can easily rack up wins against lowly teams like the Oakland Raiders, Kansas City Chiefs and the San Diego Chargers and clinch the division title.

If they won eight games with Tim Tebow as their starting quarterback, they can win a lot more with Peyton, can't they?

Also, Peyton's arrival in Denver would mean that the team would be an attractive destination for free agents. Reggie Wayne and Jeff Saturday might follow him there and improve the team dramatically, and other wide receivers and tight ends might be willing to do the same.

He already has a solid target there in Demaryius Thomas.

Most importantly, there is a quarterback sitting behind Peyton in Denver that could use some grooming as a quarterback. Peyton's and Tebow's relationship would easily be a strong one, as they're both mature gentlemen. 

Tebow can teach Peyton about God. Peyton can teach Tebow about throwing touchdowns. 

It'll be a symbiotic relationship that would help both develop their futures: Peyton as a retired man, and Tim as the starting quarterback for the Denver Broncos.

There is no doubt that Manning can teach Tebow a plethora of information on mechanics. This isn't to say that Peyton will turn Tebow into a guy with a 70 percent completion rating, but he will noticeably improve.

Perhaps he can raise that completion rating from 47 to 57, and with a solid defense and Tim's unique style, the Broncos will be more equipped to do damage in the future with Tebow as their quarterback. 

Mark Sanchez was able to lead his team to a couple of AFC Championships with passer ratings of 63 and 75. This shows that all Tebow needs to do is improve slightly. He can be average, and with a good defense, he'll be able to go far.

Manning can help him do that. Spending a year or two under his wing will do wonders for Tebow.

This is why it completely makes sense for the Broncos to target Manning. It's not often when a move makes sense both short-term and long-term. This is one that John Elway needs to take advantage of and bring the future Hall of Famer to Mile High.

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