Peyton Manning Trade Destinations

With the Indianapolis Colts marching towards a level of mediocrity matched only by the 2008 Detroit Lions, there is a very real possibility that they will end up with the first pick in the 2012 NFL Draft. If that is the case they will be faced with the prospect of drafting the best quarterback to declare for the draft since the Indianapolis Colts' current QB Peyton Manning. That man is, of course, Stanford Cardinal quarterback Andrew Luck.

So, let's assume the Colts do, in fact, draft Mr Luck and are willing to part with Mr Manning. Sure, there is the possibility they will trade away the number one pick and stick with Manning. Or that they will draft Luck and keep Peyton to tutor him and the two can compete for the starting job over the next couple of seasons. There is also the possibility that Peyton Manning may not recover from his neck injury to continue to play football. But we're going to assume that the Colts decide to take Luck and use the prospect of a healthy Peyton Manning to improve their team and build for the future.

The biggest question is how much it will take to land Peyton Manning. There are several variables to consider. First, he was injured bad enough to miss the entire season and not for a torn tendon or broken arm, for a neck injury. If it doesn't heal effectively there is a real possibility Peyton Manning will not the quarterback who has lit the NFL on fire for the past decade.

Second, the Colts need to decide if they would prefer established players who they feel can contribute or would they rather take the chance with some draft picks?

A good place to look is at the Raiders trade for Carson Palmer. Essentially, the Raiders gave up their first round pick and their second round pick in 2013 (which becomes a first round pick if the Raiders make it to the title game this year or next year). Peyton Manning is a better quarterback than Carson Palmer so at a minimum I'd say the Colts will get two first round picks. Otherwise, I'd say a first, a third, and an established player. Regardless of the makeup, the trade will have to take place with a team willing to make some major sacrifices.

With that in mind, let's start running down the teams (in no particular order) whom I think have a realistic shot at getting Manning.

Don't get me wrong, I love me some Tim Tebow, but I'm just not buying the college option being successful beyond this season. Or really at all against good teams. That being the case, look for the Broncos' former quarterback and current Executive Vice-President, John Elway, to be looking for a real quarterback of the future.

Peyton Manning would come onto a rebuilding team and instantly turn the offense around. Peyton would have young wide receivers Eddie Royal and Eric Decker at his disposal as well as veteran Willis McGahee and 2009 first-round pick Knowshon Moreno in the backfield.

Peyton Manning trade to the Broncos would elevate them to the level of AFC West favorite but would hardly make them a Super Bowl contender. They still have serious work to do on both sides of the ball but, as the aforementioned Lions have proven, a few good years can turn things completely around.

Seahawks' head coach Pete Carroll can not be pleased with the less than stellar play of quarterback Tarvaris Jackson or his backup Charlie Whitehurst. Carroll would certainly love to have Peyton Manning running his offense. Sidney Rice would certainly welcome a QB like Manning passing to him having risen to his current status catching passes from Brett Favre.

Marshawn Lynch would certainly provide Manning with the best running back he's played with since Edgerrin James. With Peyton behind center the Seahawks offense could turn a major corner but even so, they would still be little competition for the San Francisco 49ers would likely still need several season to turn into a true contender. By that time, Peyton Manning may well be preparing to leave as a free-agent or ready to hung-up his cleats for good.

Ah, the Dolphins, starting out 0-7 and reeling off 3 straight wins, are seemingly always in the hunt for this piece or that piece. It wasn't that long ago that they traded for Daunte Culpepper and speculation began that they may be the first team to host and play in a Super Bowl.

Lately, they've been struggling along with seemingly anyone they could find to play for them. They have a myriad of needs despite their recent spat of success and would provide an enticing offer to the Colts for Peyton Manning (the Colts would have the first and the, perhaps, third picks in the draft this year) but would likely be one of the worst destinations for Peyton.

The Dolphins have Brandon Marshall and Reggie Bush to help out on offense but beyond that they don't have much to offer. Peyton Manning would certainly boost their chances but he would hardly vault them into contention for the AFC East let alone a Super Bowl.

Another AFC East team that could provide a new home for Peyton Manning is the New York Jets. Mark Sanchez just hasn't proven to be an elite quarterback. Sure, the Jets have been to two AFC title games with him behind center but do you really see Sanchez winning a Super Bowl? This would be a perfect scenario for Rex Ryan as it would allow him to focus on his defense while allowing Manning to do basically whatever he wants.

Peyton would have two proven receiving options in Plaxico Burress and Santonio Holmes along with the promising Shonn Greene and seemingly immortal LaDanian Tomlinson in the backfield. Peyton could step in and elevate this offense into contention immediately. Coupled with a strong defense, the Jets would do well to give serious consideration to giving up a couple of picks to bring Peyton to the Big Apple.

Rex Grossman and John Beck are demonstrating conclusively that they are not championship level quarterbacks in the National Football League. Owner Dan Snyder has shown that he does not mind paying money or forfeiting draft picks for established players.

The Redskins offense has been anemic but that has been largely due to the play of the quarterback. Santana Moss can still get down the field and tight ends Fred Davis and Chris Cooley can play the role of Dallas Clark. Donte Stallworth and Jabar Gaffney are sufficient complimentary wide receivers and Tim Hightower and Roy Helu look to be a formidible one-two punch at running back.

The defense continues to be good and if they could get some help on offense this team would be a contender in the NFC. This is another solid option for Peyton and could leverage a couple of picks to launch them into title contention very quickly.

The Redskins make a lot of sense too but in the end, there's just too much to like about Peyton Manning playing for Rex in New York.

There are just too many story lines that make this perfect. First, the Manning brothers would be united in New York. Every week the New York papers would be discussing who was the best and anticipating their sure encounter at some point in the season, maybe even in the Super Bowl.

Secondly, it would ensure a Peyton Manning vs Tom Brady matchup twice a year for the foreseeable future. The story of the 2000's has been the competition between these two and every season (or just about every season) we could look forward to seeing these two duel. This would bring that competition to a whole new level and guarantee us the chance to watch these two try to out-gun each other a minimum of twice a season.

This move also makes sense from a football standpoint. As mentioned earlier, the Jets are, indeed, on the edge of greatness. They have established pieces at both wide receiver spots, a great tight end in Dustin Keller, and a solid defense under Rex Ryan. Peyton Manning would help this team put points on the board and make it easy for that vaunted defense to pin-their-ears-back and go after the opposing team's QB.

The addition of Peyton Manning would instantly vault the Jets into title contention. Coupled with Rex Ryan's defense the Jets would finally have all the pieces in place for a title run. The Jets is the perfect destination for Peyton and they should start putting the pieces together now to get this trade done.