Peyton Manning Rumors: Power Ranking Legendary QB's 4 Desired Teams

The Peyton Manning sweepstakes is red hot. Everyone has an opinion on where he will go, but this is about where he should go, at least when considering his options. 

According to Mike Klis of the Denver Post, Manning has his list narrowed down to four teams.

"

The Broncos, Tennessee Titans, Miami Dolphins and Arizona Cardinals are the finalists for his services, with a decision expected to be made soon, possibly today.

"

Obviously, the decision wasn't made on Wednesday, so all four of these teams are still live. Looking at that list, you see four very distinct options. Let's take a look to see how they stack up against each other. 

4. Miami Dolphins

This is really the black sheep of this group and ironically, the one that I see as the most likely. But in looking at this potential move, I am not seeing how it makes any sense. 

The Dolphins aren't anywhere near contention in the AFC East. They play in a division with the regular season juggernaut New England Patriots, who win 12-14 games on an annual basis. Heck, even when Tom Brady got hurt and missed the 2008 season, they were 11-5. I'm sure it would be tempting to go against Brady twice a year, but it's not the right move. 

The Dolphins are not close to being at New England's level. Manning would make them at best a wild card team, but nothing better than the first round. 

With Brandon Marshall traded away and Reggie Wayne signed with the Colts (thus eliminating any package possibility), the Dolphins don't have the passing attack to make this work. Whether it happens or not, this move would make very little sense. 

3. Arizona Cardinals

There are a few advantages to this move. One is that the Cardinals play in a dome. Another is that they happen to have Larry Fitzgerald as the top receiver. That is a strong foundation to build around. 

The problem is that they share a division with the 49ers, who were 13-3 and will return all 11 starters on the defensive side of the ball. They are not the annual winners that the Patriots are, but San Francisco looked incredibly strong in 2011. 

The positive is that this would make the Cardinals at least a playoff team, which is all that matters. Unlike the Dolphins, the Cardinals have the game-changer in Fitzgerald that can take them on a run. 

They are the third best of the four finalists, but much closer to No. 2 than No. 4.

2. Tennessee Titans

The homecoming nature of this is just too perfect. Manning went to school at Tennessee and is still an icon in the state. On top of that, the team was not far from being in the playoffs last year, as they made it all the way to Week 17 before being eliminated. 

Steve Farmer of the Los Angeles Times also raised another possibility as to why this would be a nice move.

"

Titans owner Bud Adams has made it clear that he considers signing Manning the team's top priority. What's more, the Titans are hoping to sign Pro Bowl guard Steve Hutchinson, who last played for Minnesota, and that could help persuade Manning too. They're close friends from their annual Pro Bowl trips.

"

Having a solid presence on the offensive line never hurts. Hutchinson is a guard, which is more traditionally geared towards blocking for the run, but even that helps. That would open up holes for Chris Johnson, forcing the defense to respect the run more, opening up gaps in the coverage for Manning to exploit. He has done that pretty well throughout his career. 

1. Denver Broncos

The Dolphins have to deal with the Patriots, while the Cardinals and Titans contend with the 49ers and Texans, respectively. The Broncos don't have that problem. Their division was won at 8-8 in 2011, and it was won by the Broncos. 

With a young defense that was already strong, Manning can lead the team to a lot more points over four quarters than Tim Tebow could. I am not down on Tebow, but he's not Peyton Manning.

The division is winnable to say the least. As a matter of fact, with New England's questionable defense and the Steelers and Ravens both aging, the AFC can be captured. Manning would stabilize Denver's offensive attack and make them a real threat to reach the Super Bowl. 

None of those other teams have that situation right now. The Broncos do and are by far the best option because of it. 

Follow @mdixon1985