What Brandon Marshall Trade Means for Miami Dolphins, Peyton Manning

The Miami Dolphins' decision to trade Brandon Marshall to the Chicago Bears, as first reported by Jay Glazer of Fox Sports, is met with a sigh of relief from the other three teams in the AFC East. This is especially true for the New England Patriots, who have been terrorized by the wideout for years.

But with a move so big, there had to be some sort of reason behind the trade. 

And of course, there are possible implications that the trade had something to do with the Dolphins' endeavor to land free-agent quarterback Peyton Manning.

No Other Option

This is a double entendré.

Speculation is running heavy that the Peyton Manning wouldn't want to play with Marshall. That theory is shared by Jesse Agler of TheFinsiders.com.

"

Theories on trade (in no particular order): Peyton preference; want to bring in young QB; clear cap space for one reason or another.

— Jesse Agler (@finsjesse) March 13, 2012"

Thus, perhaps trading Marshall was the right move if the ultimate goal is to land Manning.

This also helps them because they would have had to clear a little more cap space to sign him anyway. This gives them an instant $10 million in room.

The only problem is, what do the Dolphins have at receiver besides Marshall? They have only a couple of bit-part players at receiver in Davone Bess and Brian Hartline.

Of course, the free-agency period has only just begun. Which leads me to my next thought...

Could This Mean a Run at Reggie Wayne?

Without a true No. 1 receiver, the Dolphins have to be in the discussion for Wayne, who has said he would like to play with Manning. As one of Manning's favorite targets in Indianapolis, the feeling is likely mutual.

One would think that Pierre Garcon would be in the discussion, but he's already talking contract with the Washington Redskins.

Thus, the Dolphins would be wise to target Wayne and give Manning just one more reason to sign with them.

However, if they feel they're far behind in the race for Manning, they may not want to put their stock in an aging receiver that might not be a fit for their offense. Although any young quarterback would like a sure target like Wayne, it would be surprising to see a team in the midst of a regime change make such a move.

UPDATE: Marshall's agent announced told Jarrett Bell of USA Today that he had talked about the trade for awhile, and that it had nothing to do with Manning.

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