Peyton Manning Released by Colts – Bills Interested?

The Indianapolis Colts and star quarterback Peyton Manning have offically parted ways after 14 seasons.

After sitting out the entire 2011-2012 season following neck surgery, many speculated whether or not Manning would ever play another snap in the NFL. Now, it seems that he will, just not for the Colts. Indianapolis finished the season with a 2-14 record, bad enough to earn them the number one selection in April’s entry draft. Many expect the Colts to draft the highly touted quarterback from Stanford, Andrew Luck. With their eyes set on the future, Manning will be looking for a new home this spring.

Where will he go? Most early speculation has pointed towards the Dolphins, Jets, and Redskins as possible candidates, though I’ll stress the word speculation. Darnell Dockett of the Arizona Cardinals tweeted earlier “Peyton to AZ!!!!!!!!!!”; I’m sure his current quarterback, Kevin Kolb, appreciated that.

What about the Bills? One could point towards Ryan Fitzpatrick’s recent contract extension and the team’s perennial tight pocket policy as ways to rule out any chance of a Manning signing, but I guess one never knows. No one expected us to sign Terrell Owens, though that didn’t work out too well in the end. I’d say the odds that the Bills are interested in Manning are extremely slim, and the odds that he would accept a deal here are even slimmer. One would think he’d opt to sign with a team looking to compete for a championship in the short term. It never hurts to dream I suppose.

This goes without saying, but if Manning were to sign with the Jets or Dolphins it would be a huge blow for the Bills. I think it’s fair to say fans would much rather see Mark Sanchez or Chad Henne twice a year respectively than Peyton Manning. That goes without saying so much that I’m mad at myself for even typing it.

If I had to guess I’d say Manning ends up on the Dolphins, but don’t trust me, I also predicted the Bills to finish with a winning record.