Peyton Manning Reports: He's Interested in Playing For Texans
Which team will Peyton Manning join if the Colts release him on March 8? One reporter said he knows "for a fact" that Manning is interested playing for the Houston Texans.
On Monday, Bob Allen of an ABC affiliate in Houston reports that he knows a close friend of the Manning family who says that "Peyton is definitely interested in possibly coming to the Texans."
"The person who knows the Mannings says Peyton wants to play on a team that has a chance of going to a Super Bowl, and the Texans fit that description," Allen shared with KTRK-TV viewers.
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Peyton, who had several surgeries for a neck injury, has been cleared to play by doctors but not by the Colts. Many reports are unanimous that the Colts will cut Peyton before his $28 million roster bonus kicks in on next month. If they do, the 35-year-old quarterback will be a free agent.
According to Allen, a big plus for Manning is thatTexans are in the Colts division.
"I'm told the relationship between him and Colts owner Robert Irsay now is strictly business."
The Houston sportscaster adds that the "competitiveness" between Eli and Peyton will also factor into Petyon's decision.
"It 'does' matter that Eli has two Super Bowl rings to his one," writes Allen.
Last week, reports on Petyon questioned whether could play in the 2012 season after a neck injury caused him to miss the 2011 one.
Indianapolis Star columnist Bob Kravitz described Manning as currently having a "noodle arm" but later retracted his statements.
During a guest appearance on ESPN's "The B.S. Report with Bill Simmons," NFL Network analyst Michael Lombardi also weighed in on Manning's condition saying his arm lacks zip and strength.
"He can't throw the ball," Lombardi said. "I've talked to people who've caught the ball for him. He can't throw the ball to his left. He can't throw the ball across his body, because he doesn't feel it. People that catch the ball for him say he doesn't really have velocity on the ball yet."
In his post, Allen also observes that Peyton is "still not back to what he was."
It's still unclear where Peyton Manning will land after his release. Some are speculating whether he will retire.
Allen believes that Peyton's decision "won't be played out publicly; we won't be hearing anything from Manning or the Texans unless something does happen."
"All that aside, be it a long shot or reality, I know for a fact that he does have a definite interest in the Texans."
