Peyton Manning Rumors: Arizona Cardinals Can't Afford to Let Star QB Get Away

The Arizona Cardinals might have a quarterback signed to a long-term contract, but the allure of Peyton Manning should be too great to pass up. 

Manning's whirlwind tour of the United States recently took him to the desert for a meeting with the Arizona Cardinals. 

According to Adam Schefter and Chris Mortensen of ESPN, Manning met with the Cardinals and Denver Broncos over the weekend. No contract specifics were discussed, but he was given the red-carpet treatment. 

The report also says that Manning and Cardinals head coach Ken Whisenhunt have a good relationship with each other. 

While you can certainly see why Manning would be attracted to the Cardinals—hello, Larry Fitzgerald—the team's attraction towards him should be far greater. 

The NFC West is still a wide open division. The San Francisco 49ers are the best team, but no one is going to crown them a dynasty with Alex Smith (assuming the team re-signs him) as a quarterback who can take them where they want to go. 

Adding Manning to an offense that includes Fitzgerald, Early Doucet and Beanie Wells would make them one of the most formidable in the NFL. 

The addition of Manning would also take a huge amount of pressure off a defense that was asked to do more than it was capable of last year. 

We have seen what the Cardinals are capable of when they have a legitimate starting quarterback. With a team that is built to win now, there is no reason for them to let one get away without putting their best foot forward.

There would have to be significant upgrades made on the offensive line to ensure Manning makes it through an entire season, but they have a good draft pick to worry about that. The first order of business has to be signing a quarterback. 

Manning is interested in the Cardinals and vice versa. Arizona needs to put its best foot forward to ensure that a deal happens to all but guarantee immediate success. 

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