As the calendar continues to move toward March 8, the date by which the Colts must either pay Peyton Manning $28 million or cut him loose, reports and theories continue to emerge.
Here’s the latest, from Bob Allen of KTRK-TV in Houston: “Someone I know who is close friends with the Manning family says Peyton is definitely interested in possibly coming to the Texans. Peyton will be released by the Colts early next month and will be a free agent. 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.”
Though the Texans have a quarterback, a healthy Peyton Manning would be a clear upgrade over Matt Schaub. With that defense and that running game and those receivers, the Texans would be a championship-caliber team with Manning under center.
Before that would happen, Manning would have to be willing to put his Indianapolis legacy at risk, given that he’d be playing the Colts twice in 2012. And the Texans would have to be willing to sit Schaub down and/or send Schaub packing.
But the Texans are one of the few teams with which Manning could legitimately chase a Super Bowl in 2012. And if Peyton hopes to match Eli’s pair of Super Bowl titles, the Texans could give Peyton the best chance of getting it done in 2012.