A new wrinkle on the Peyton Manning to AZ rumors
Feb 28, 2012, 7:30 PM | Updated: 7:48 pm
Where oh where will Peyton Manning land?
There’s seemingly a new wrinkle or rumor every day about
Manning’s possible landing spots for 2012 or whether or
not he can even throw a football up to NFL standards.
A lot remains unknown, and will until March 8 — the day
Manning is due a huge roster bonus from the Indianapolis
Colts. The organization, however, may opt to save the $28
million and cut Manning, making him a free agent.
We do know one thing — the Arizona Cardinals show up on
just about every expert’s list of potential suitors for
Manning in the event he becomes a free agent.
Peter King, the NFL scribe from Sports Illustrated, is
one.
But in a piece
published Tuesday morning, King adds another wrinkle,
saying that another coveted free agent from Indianapolis
will likely join Manning wherever he plays. That free
agent is five-time Pro Bowl receiver Reggie Wayne.
Such a pairing would not only be a plus for
Manning, who would love to see it happen, according to one
NFL source. But also it would allow him to go to his new
team with one familiar receiving face, and if you can say
one thing about Manning, it’s that he loves familiarity,
particularly in how his receivers anticipate throws and
the precision of their route-running.
King also projects how Wayne would fit in with each
suitor’s roster, including Arizona. The Cardinals opted
not to pick up a veteran option to fill their number two
receiver spot opposite Larry Fitzgerald last offseason,
and it was a problem in the first half of the 2011
campaign.
Writes King:
Manning to Larry Fitzgerald. Dreamy. Manning
to Fitzgerald and Reggie Wayne. Dreamier.
Wayne caught 75 passes for 960 yards and 4 touchdowns last
year despite Manning missing the whole season while he
recovered from numerous neck surgeries.
Andre Roberts and Early Doucet, the two receivers who
complimented
Fitzgerald, combined for 105 catches and 7 touchdowns in
2011.
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