There was a lot of lip-biting, a lot of man tears shed, and a whole heck of a lot of Manningface today at Peyton Manning's Indianapolis farewell press conference. And while most sportswriters agreed that it was an emotional and classy event, attention has now turned toward the future: where will one of the greatest quarterbacks of the last decade play next season? At least some Jets reportedly are chomping at the bit for him to come here: “I want him in New York. He needs to be a Jet,” one prominent Jets player told the News.
Another source told the Post that the Jets "definitely" will explore the possibility of signing Manning, though it will largely depend how healthy he is coming off neck surgery. It's completely unknown whether Manning would be interested in taking the big stage in NYC, or with playing in the same city as his Super Bowl winning little brother. He told reporters today that he hasn't even started to think about the future just yet, while reiterating his desire to keep playing: "I don't know what the next steps are…This is kind of uncharted territory for me, so we'll see how that plays out," Manning said. "I don't want to retire."
Most do believe that the Jets will need to give Manning a serious look. The Star-Ledger thinks that "a free agent of Manning’s caliber, if healthy, no doubt fits the "every rock, every day" mantra [general manager Mike] Tannenbaum has cited recently when asked about Manning." Grantland lays odds that they'll be one of the top three contenders along with the Miami Dolphins and Washington Redskins. ESPN argues that it will be tough not giving Mark Sanchez at least one more year to prove himself.
On that last point, Deadspin really hits the nail on the head in a post about Manning's breakup with the Colts—they point out that NFL teams wager big money players against "the future" of the franchise, with the individual stars, no matter how important, often getting swept aside: "It's still mind-blowing to think that even one of the greatest QBs of all time is still a fungible cog in the NFL's machinery, dispatched in a relatively quick manner for the sake of "building for the future." In the NFL, the future is always the prize. The now is undervalued, and the past is utterly worthless." It's entirely possible the Jets could decide that Sanchez—long their "quarterback of the future"—has squandered his "nows," and run out of tomorrows.
At least we can be assured of one thing: if Manning does come to NY, he'll know how to tip right.
