Peyton Manning Rumors: Are Dolphins or Cardinals Better Fit for Legendary QB?

After the Indianapolis Colts released Peyton Manning on Wednesday, he became one of the most sought-after free agents in NFL history. Surely, any team with just the smallest of quarterback issues wants the future Hall of Famer. 

But what does Peyton want?

Where does Peyton want to go?

What serves Peyton's interests best?

According to Adam Schefter of ESPN, numerous teams have already inquired on the availability of the former Colt. Among those are the Seattle Seahawks, Arizona Cardinals, Kansas City Chiefs, Denver Broncos, Miami Dolphins, Washington Redskins, Tennessee Titans and New York Jets.

But again, it will come down to who Peyton wants to play with and what city serves as the best home for him. In this situation, we'll determine a better fit between Miami and Arizona, two of the many top contenders in the Peyton Sweepstakes.

Miami Dolphins

Hey, when Dwyane Wade and LeBron James want you to come to South Beach, you come to South Beach.

Would Manning really be comfortable playing there? South Beach isn't quite as conservative as a place like Tennessee or Indianapolis and you might think Manning doesn't fit there, but the fact that he already owns a condo there and has been working out there pretty much squashes that idea. 

Next is the conference. Manning has said he favors the AFC, but playing in the AFC East isn't necessarily child's play. The New England Patriots are obviously a contender, the Jets are usually incredibly stout on defense and even the Buffalo Bills are up-and-coming.

As far as the ability to contend, Manning pretty much turns any team lacking a quarterback into a contender. However, the Dolphins had an underrated defense last season, giving up just 19.6 points per game and and 5.3 yards per play.

On offense, Manning would have Brandon Marshall and potentially Reggie Wayne to throw to. Looks like a win-win situation all around for Manning.

Arizona Cardinals

Not so fast, though.

The Cardinals are in a softer division than the AFC East, they have a pass-happy offense (they threw the ball 60 percent of the time last season, compared to Miami's 52.6 percent) and they have one of the best receivers in the game in Larry Fitzgerald.

What's not to like for Manning?

The Cardinals defense isn't quite as stout as Miami's, as it gave up 21.8 points per game last season, but that's certainly far from terrible.

It's not like Manning ever played with a dominating defense, anyways. That shouldn't be his biggest concern.

Manning has been working out in South Beach and certainly has more ties there, but if he legitimately wants to win a Super Bowl, Arizona would be his decision.

Verdict

Both spots are terrific options for Peyton Manning moving forward. But despite Reggie Wayne wanting to team up with Manning in South Beach, the quarterback should choose Arizona.

There, he'll find an easier conference, an offense that throws the ball more, a better No. 1 receiver and an offensive line that can protect him. Miami was dead last in 2011 in quarterback sack percentage at 9.98 percent.