2012 NFL Free Agents: Time on the Denver Broncos' Side in Peyton Manning Saga

Which side has the earlier edge on Peyton Manning—the Denver Broncos or the Arizona Cardinals?

According to ESPN's dynamic insider duo of Adam Schefter and Chris Mortensen, those two teams are the most likely landing spots for the living legend, after he met with both organizations after being released by the Indianapolis Colts last week. 

ProFootballTalk.com reported, citing Schefter's quotes on SportsCenter, that Manning's visits are done, but wouldn't say that the Miami Dolphins have been ruled out of the sweepstakes. 

At this point, the Broncos have one distinct advantage over all these teams—time. 

As Schefter pointed out during his morning segment, Denver has the luxury of being able to wait for Manning to make a decision. 

The Cardinals owe current quarterback Kevin Kolb a $7 million roster bonus on Saturday, March 17th, and if paid, he'd count $10.5 million against the cap in 2012. They could simply cut Kolb before that and use two of their available "exceptions" on Kolb's hit to the cap, which would then be $2 million this year and $8 million next year, according to The Arizona Republic.  

Either way, it seems like they need to make a decision on Kolb's future by this upcoming Saturday. 

The Miami Dolphins would like Manning to make his choice sooner rather than later because if he does land elsewhere, they'd still like to pursue Green Bay Packers free-agent signal-caller Matt Flynn. 

If Manning doesn't make his choice quickly, the Dolphins could run the risk of losing Flynn to a team like the Cleveland Browns or Seattle Seahawks, which would ultimately be a disaster for a team that many believe is in need of a quarterback and has a head coach that is familiar with Flynn from his time in Green Bay. 

We aren't sure what the Broncos would do with Tim Tebow, but there's certainly no specific timetable for the team to determine the future of the polarizing figure. It allows Manning to weigh all options and not be rushed in his decision-making process. 

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