Peyton Manning Rumors: Cardinals Must Sign Manning and Reggie Wayne as Package

If the reports are to be believed, the Arizona Cardinals are considered to be among the favorites to land former Indianapolis Colts quarterback Peyton Manning. If that does happen, then the Cards would be well served to sign his favorite target in Reggie Wayne as well.

In response to a fan's question on Twitter regarding whether the Cardinals would sign Wayne in addition to Manning, Arizona Republic reporter Kent Somers said that he didn't think so. While the Cards already have Larry Fitzgerald as the top target, Wayne would be a fantastic complement.

The goal should be to make Manning as comfortable as possible if he ultimately chooses Arizona. Obviously he would have a great time throwing to Fitzgerald, but aside from that, the Cardinals' cupboard is a bit empty in terms of weapons. Andre Roberts and Early Doucet are unproven, while Todd Heap is over the hill.

When Arizona was at its best and made the Super Bowl a few seasons ago, Kurt Warner had both Fitzgerald and Anquan Boldin to throw to. Perhaps there is a belief that Wayne is on the decline since he is 33 years old and had only 960 yards receiving last season. The fact of the matter is, though, that 960 yards is incredible considering that Curtis Painter and Dan Orlovsky were throwing to him.

Along with Manning in Arizona, there is little doubt that Wayne would return to his form of the previous seven seasons when he had over 1,000 yards every year. The Cardinals recently released offensive tackle Levi Brown to save $17 million against the cap, so cap space shouldn't even be an issue when it comes to signing Manning and Wayne.

Perhaps there is some concern that bringing in Wayne would be an indictment of Fitzgerald since Fitzgerald hasn't been quite as productive in the post-Kurt Warner era, but that isn't the case at all. Bringing in a weapon that Manning is familiar with would only serve to open things up even more for Fitzgerald.

It isn't as if the Cardinals don't have a need at No. 2 receiver anyway, so there is no reason to dismiss Wayne on the spot. In fact, even if Manning were to sign elsewhere, Wayne would still be a logical target for Arizona in order to give Fitzgerald more space.

Obviously this is likely speculation on Somers' part supported by whatever information he may have, but I find it hard to believe that the Cardinals give Wayne a look. It isn't a guarantee, but it stands to reason that Wayne might even offer a bit of a discount if it meant that he could continue to play with Manning.

If the Cardinals sign Manning, then it means that they're all-in to win right away. If that is the case, then signing Wayne seems like a no-brainer to me. Manning and Wayne have been one of the most prolific combinations in football over the past several years, and when you add Fitzgerald to that equation, it might equal a Super Bowl for the Cards.