Peyton Manning: Teams That Could Use the Indianapolis Colts Quarterback

With the deal all but sealed that the Indianapolis Colts will get the first pick, it appears they will go with a quarterback for the first overall selection in next year's draft.

So, where does that leave Peyton Manning?

The Colts would be best served trading the Hall of Fame quarterback in order to get more picks and/or talent in return to build towards the future.

The announcement of Manning being on the trading block will create a frenzy of trade offers coming Indy's way, giving it a slew of options to trade him to.

Here are some teams that will be in the running for one of the best quarterbacks in NFL history should he become available after the season.

San Francisco 49ers

The San Francisco 49ers are undoubtedly one of the most complete teams in the NFL.

Alongside a stellar defense that can stop the run, Frank Gore is the head of one of the best rushing attacks in the NFL.

Despite how bad their pass defense is ranked, it hasn't affected them all that much this season.

The weakest link, in my opinion, has been Alex Smith this season. Smith has led the 49ers to the 29th-best passing attack in football.

San Fran has gotten away with it for this long because Smith has kept his mistakes to a minimum. There will come a time when the 49ers' rushing attack gets shut down and Smith must win the game for them.

They might run into problems there.

All that being said, if they can land Peyton Manning next season, the 49ers would become instant Super Bowl favorites with one of the best offenses in all of football. It would make their offense a dangerous, two-headed attack that would erase any mention of a one-dimensional style of play.

Without a shadow of a doubt, the 49ers would be Manning's best bet of all the teams vying for his services to win his second Super Bowl.

New York Jets

It's been nothing but disappointment for the New York Jets in 2011 as they are already on the verge of missing the playoffs.

Behind a bad offensive line and without a rushing attack, Mark Sanchez has been called on to do more than his ability will let him. He isn't the kind of guy that can carry a team on his back.

Manning is.

Manning would come to New York and instantly make the Jets offense better by himself. He would make the Jets Super Bowl contenders in the blink of an eye.

He would also have a field day throwing to the likes of Santonio Holmes, Plaxico Burress and Dustin Keller. Manning's options in New York would mirror what he once had in Indy.

On top of that, the Jets' running game would be revived because all the focus would be on the Jets passing attack, opening it up for them to run the ball effectively again.

This is a match made in Heaven for Jets fans, and it certainly won't end up like that other veteran, Hall of Fame quarterback who failed in New York a few years back.

What was that guy's name?

Baltimore Ravens

It's scary to think how good the Baltimore Ravens would be if Joe Flacco were a more consistent quarterback.

Defensively, the Ravens are one of the best teams in the league. Combined with a great rushing attack with Ray Rice, adding a guy like Manning to the team would certainly put them over the top.

Manning would thrive in Baltimore's offense, making facing the Ravens a nightmare on both sides of the ball.

He would easily be the best quarterback in the franchise's history, seeing as how Baltimore is consistently lacking a good option behind center each and every year.

I know I said the 49ers were his best chance to win earlier, but when I think about it more carefully, the Ravens wouldn't be too shabby either.

Washington Redskins

In the most important position in the NFL, the Washington Redskins have tried every scrub they can find to play quarterback over the past decade, hoping something would stick.

But nothing has, and they have paid dearly for it.

Manning wouldn't be another one of those cases for Washington, instantly making it a favorite to win the NFC East by himself.

He would be the best quarterback ever to play in D.C. before he was to even take the field.

Along with a solid defense ranked ninth against the pass and 18th against the run, the Redskins would find themselves with their most complete team all around in their history.

Miami Dolphins

The Miami Dolphins probably have the best goods in the NFL to offer the Colts for Manning.

The Dolphins will certainly have a top-five pick and maybe the second pick overall in next year's draft. They could put a pick-laden package together, including their top pick in the first round.

That would set Indy up with a No. 1 and No. 2 overall pick, allowing it to draft not only Andrew Luck but possibly one of the top running backs or wide receivers available in the draft. That would instantly give the new franchise quarterback options to play with, taking pressure off him.

That's an enticing package, to say the least, and could be too much for the Colts to turn down.

That all depends on if the Dolphins would prefer to hold onto the pick and choose Baylor's Robert Griffin III instead (thanks for the draft board, Matt Miller!).

Denver Broncos

Now, before you Denver Broncos fans jump all over me for this one, just know I am a fan of Tim Tebow.

That being said, you can't in your right mind tell me you wouldn't take Manning over Tebow if the choice was yours.

At this point and next season, Tebow may be able to win them some games, but he won't win them a Super Bowl.

Manning would make the Broncos an elite team again, combining with Denver's fourth-ranked rushing attack to make up one of the best offenses in all of football.

The Broncos defense has also been playing better as of late, helping Tebow win games this season. If they can play like that for Manning, the Broncos would be a force to be reckoned with.

So Broncos fans, do you feel better now after my explanation? No disrespect to Tebow, but Manning is on another planet.

Houston Texans

Despite being 7-3 and in first place in the AFC South, the Houston Texans could get even better than they are now.

The Texans defensive rankings are in the top five in the NFL this season, while their two-headed rushing attack with Ben Tate and Arian Foster have them sitting pretty with the second-best running game in football.

Their worst ranking is the one Manning would improve drastically, and that is their 13th-ranked passing attack.

Don't get me wrong, Matt Schaub has done a nice job this season and it's unfortunate he will be out for the rest of this year, but Manning would make the Texans passing attack as elite as their rushing attack is.

The Texans, in my opinion, would be the best and most complete team in the NFL without question if they added Manning to their team.