Peyton Manning to Denver Broncos: Biggest Winners and Losers

Peyton Manning has told John Elway that he's going to play for the Denver Broncos, according to ESPN's Adam Schefter. 

As long as Manning's agent can seal the deal during contract negotiations, the gun-slinging icon will be playing in the Mile High City.

Wow. Good work, John Elway. 

All right, time to peg the winners and losers of all of this.

Winner: Denver Broncos

Peyton Manning is a four-time NFL MVP and Super Bowl champion, and all reports have stated that he is throwing like he used to.

I'd say that makes them a winner. 

I've got nothing against Tim Tebow. He was the quarterback on a team that won the division and advanced to the divisional round in the playoffs last year, but this is Peyton Manning we're talking about here. 

Even if you're the biggest Tebow fan, it's impossible to ignore his deficiencies.

He was a great leader, but held back the offense in a variety of ways. 

Once the Manning deal is finalized, the quarterback position becomes a major strength of this club. 

Manning would take a lot of pressure off the run game and give a major boost to the receiving corps. I'll get to that in a second. 

Winners: Eric Decker, Demaryius Thomas and Any Other Broncos Receiver

Did Peyton Manning ever make a receiver worse?

Nope. He always gotten the best of everyone he's rocketed the ball to.

Brandon Stokley once caught 10 touchdowns and had over 1,000 receiving yards in one season with Manning.

Jerome Pathon had the best year of his career with the Colts in 2000.

Austin Collie caught 15 touchdowns in his first two seasons with Peyton.

Even Blair White grabbed five touchdowns in 2010 when No. 18 was under center.  

Both Demaryius Thomas and Eric Decker showed flashes of fantastic potential last season. I truly believe Thomas will be a star in the NFL—just ask the Pittsburgh Steelers secondary. Decker was the team's most consistent wideout before his injury.

The entire Broncos receiving contingent is celebrating this afternoon. 

Winners: The Seattle Seahawks, Arizona Cardinals and St. Louis Rams

Peyton Manning leading an offense of Frank Gore, Michael Crabtree, Randy Moss and Mario Manningham would have been scary.  

Add in the defense and that combination becomes absolutely frightening. 

The San Francisco 49ers were clearly the most logical landing spot from a football sense. 

Pete Carroll, Jeff Fisher and Ken Wisenhunt dodge a bullet. The NFC West is better than it's been in a while, but the 49ers would have been an even more dominating presence with Peyton calling the shots.

Losers: San Francisco 49ers

Big-time losers.

They alienated their 2011 quarterback Alex Smith when they announced their interest in Manning, and now miss out on No. 18. 

Awkward City.

If Smith elects to play for the Miami Dolphins, Jim Harbaugh will be forced to start the Colin Kaepernick era only a few months after he was a field goal away from the Super Bowl.  

Has anything like this ever happened in the history of the NFL?

Loser: Tim Tebow

With the report that Manning will sign with the Broncos came the news that Denver will try to trade the polarizing national figure. 

He won the hearts of the entire city of Denver last season and was on his way to a full offseason as the un-questioned starter. 

It was a time in which he could have honed his passing skills while learning the nuances of scheming for opposing defenses without worrying about his job. 

Not anymore. 

What happens next for him? 

Don't ask me. 

I do know one thing—there's no way he's a starter in Week One of the 2012 NFL season.  

Loser: Arizona Cardinals (NOT the Tennessee Titans)

The Cardinals wanted Manning, and with the dome stadium and Larry Fitzgerald, they had great bargaining chips.

A Manning-to-Cardinals move was extremely logical. Can you imagine Fitz with Manning throwing to him?

My Lord. 

Now they revert to Kevin Kolb. They have confidence in him, but he struggled mightily in 2011 and dealt with injuries. 

The Titans are fine. Let me make that clear.

Matt Hasselbeck was surprisingly efficient last season and Jake Locker is ready to play now.

Seriously. He has to work on his accuracy a bit, but he has a phenomenal skill set and has demonstrated a wealth of ability when given the opportunity.

They have other holes to fill besides quarterback. 

Loser: AFC West

This one's simple: 

Peyton Manning > Tim Tebow.

The Broncos won the division with Tebow as the quarterback for the majority of the year in 2011.

Yikes. 

With a solid draft, this Broncos team could be a powerhouse.