Peyton Manning to San Francisco Rumors Doubly Disastrous for Arizona Cardinals

As if it wasn't bad enough that the Arizona Cardinals look to be eliminated from contention in the race to acquire the services of free-agent quarterback Peyton Manning, the team was dealt a double-fisted punch to the gut when Chris Mortensen of ESPN tweeted that Manning has worked out with the reigning NFC West champions in the San Francisco 49ers.

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Harbaugh and OC Greg Roman watched Manning throw at Duke on Tues night; impressive enough to send doctor next day to give physical exam

— Chris Mortensen (@mortreport) March 16, 2012"

The somewhat surprising possibility of seeing the four-time NFL MVP under center for the 49ers next season has sent the Cardinals front office from disappointed into full-on scramble mode. Not only did today mark the day the Cardinals bowed out of Peyton-palooza but it also meant sinking $7 million more into quarterback Kevin Kolb in the form of a roster bonus that Kent Somers of the Arizona Republic reports that the Cardinals were left with little choice but to pay.

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It was that bonus payment that created a deadline no other competitor for Manning faced. To avoid paying it, the Cardinals had to release Kolb by 1 p.m. on Friday. The only way they were going to do that was if Manning called with good news.

He didn't.

The Cardinals decided they couldn't afford the gamble of releasing Kolb and continuing their pursuit of Manning. The only other quarterbacks on the roster are John Skelton and Rich Bartel.

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However, while the Cardinals are apparently set to move ahead with Kolb, it's possible that the Cardinals are attempting to rewrite the terms by which they do so, as Mortensen also tweeted that colleague Suzy Kolb (no relation, I think) reported that Arizona is inking the sixth-year pro to a restructured contract.

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@SuzyNFL32 - Suzy Kolber - reports to ESPN that #Cardinals are signing QB Kevin Kolb to new (restructured) contract #NFL32 6 ET ESPN2

— Chris Mortensen (@mortreport) March 16, 2012"

After missing seven games in his first season in the desert and playing erratically when he was on the field, it's pretty unlikely that this restructuring was done as a reward, although the Cardinals may have some fence-mending to do with Kolb after actively pursuing his potential replacement.

It's far more probable that the Cardinals are trying to create additional salary cap flexibility after signing Kolb to a six-year, $53 million contract in 2011, but after Arizona's failed pursuit of Manning left the team stuck in neutral early in free agency, it's pretty late in the game to be getting in gear.

The 49ers haven't exactly gone berserk to this point in free agency either (depending on how you feel about the speculative addition of wide receiver Randy Moss), but if Friday's speculation gains any traction and Manning lands in San Francisco, the 49ers will have kicked things into overdrive at the worst possible time for the Redbirds.

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