Peyton Manning Rumors: Will San Francisco 49ers Snatch Star QB at Last Second?

With the Miami Dolphins and Arizona Cardinals being told to scram, the Tennessee Titans and Denver Broncos now appear to be the front-runners to land Peyton Manning.

But don't count the San Francisco 49ers out.

Adam Schefter and Chris Mortensen of ESPN reported on Friday that the 49ers were a sleeper team to land Manning. According to "league sources," Manning threw passes for the 49ers and underwent a physical exam earlier this week.

It's worth noting that the 49ers offered free agent Alex Smith a contract, but the two sides appear at odds about the length of the deal.

Smith and his agent, Tom Condon, are looking for a five-year deal, but the 49ers reportedly offered Smith three years before he hit free agency.

While Smith had the best season of his career in 2011-2012, he has still not established himself as the franchise quarterback of the 49ers in many people's eyes.

The 49ers want him to stay, but if contract talks break down, it would be foolish not to pursue Manning.

Perhaps that's what the 49ers are doing right now.

Out of all the teams that have been linked to Manning, the 49ers figure to give him the best chance to win another title.

They had a dominant defense last season and were barely edged by the eventual champion New York Giants in the NFC Championship Game. On top of that, they have a terrific head coach in Jim Harbaugh, as well as a solid coaching staff.

The ironic thing about all of this is that Condon is Manning's agent, too.

Obviously, Manning is his top priority, so he may be manipulating the situation. Honestly, he wouldn't be a good agent if he wasn't. This has the potential of frustrating 49ers management.

Apparently, Manning's throwing session for the 49ers was "very impressive," per ESPN. That may alleviate some of management's concerns about his ability to perform at the same level.

It's frankly not a surprise that the 49ers are going after the future Hall of Famer and if Manning really wants a championship, San Francisco is his best bet.

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