Peyton Manning to San Francisco 49ers: Niners Wise to Stay Clear of Manning

Peyton Manning is no longer an Indianapolis Colt—a fact that is still sinking in.

Meanwhile, a bevy of teams would love to have him command their offense, but the San Francisco 49ers are not one of them and that is absolutely the right decision. 

Matt Maiocco of CSN Bay Area reports the San Francisco 49ers are not nearly as enthusiastic about Peyton Manning joining the team as former receiver Jerry Rice. 

Maiocco writes: 

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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.

Coach Jim Harbaugh has said repeatedly that Smith "is our guy" with the 49ers. And the 49ers are actively attempting to lock up Smith to a multi-year contract, according to the source. Agent Tom Condon represents Smith and Manning.

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This report comes after Manning was officially released by the Colts and Jerry Rice made his thoughts on seeing him in a Niners jersey known. 

The legendary receiver told Ron Kroichick of the San Francisco Chronicle the following: 

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I think you go for it, you really do. You have to go after him. You've got a defense that's going to smack you in the mouth, but you need a little more from the offense.

"

Rice also referenced Alex Smith and issued that his statement wasn't a knock on the current 49ers signal-caller, but rather an affection for what Manning would bring to the team. 

I can agree up to a point. 

Peyton Manning hits the market and you can almost hear the patter of feet as general managers race to sign—but what are they signing?

The only thing we truly know for a fact is that Manning had another neck procedure and claims that he is improving and progressing better than he thought. 

We also have a grainy video that makes the Zapruder tape look like Avatar. It shows Manning working out and throwing the football around, and his arm doesn't fall completely off. 

We still have no idea what condition this future Hall of Fame quarterback is in. That alone has to scare off a team like the 49ers, who are already title contenders without making a major move. 

San Francisco created a special fraternity last season, where Jim Harbaugh was able to lead with a rare zeal that is usually absent from this level of football. 

It worked, because the spotlight was well away from the Bay Area. With Peyton Manning, that special corner would be all the football world would want to see. The team would be dominated by Manning and discussions of the legendary QB. 

This is the last thing a budding contender needs. Alex Smith proved that he can lead a winner and their defense takes care of the rest. 

The formula for a winner is already in place, and there is no reason to ruin that. 

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