How quickly Peyton Manning signs will say a lot

By Sam Farmer

March 7, 2012 12 AM PT

Peyton Manning is much more than a typical NFL player. He’s also a shrewd businessman who one day could wind up owning a team.

Surely, he wants to take his time to evaluate the opportunities in front of him, and to leverage one team against another to get the best deal (with the most guaranteed money.) So it’s likely that he won’t rush into any decision. Still, he’s been in the same offense for all 14 years of his career, so it behooves him to move quickly enough to get the jump on a new system and new personnel.

NBC Miami reported late Wednesday afternoon that Manning was in that city, although it was not known if he was there to meet with the Dolphins.

How quickly he makes his decision could also say something about where he is physically. Obviously, the teams that want him are going to give him a very thorough physical exam to make sure he’s recovered sufficiently from those multiple neck surgeries and that he can still throw the ball the way we remember Manning throwing it.

If he’s not where he wants to be in terms of recuperating, he might want to slow-play this process.

“I’m feeling closer and closer,” Manning said Wednesday, when asked if he feels like himself when he’s throwing. “I have to remind myself that it’s March. I have a hard time doing that at times. It feels kind of like home being back out there after not being able to go out on the field for September, October, November. That was personally difficult.

“I’m working hard. I still have some work to do, but I’m looking forward to doing that work, and hopefully keep making progress.”

Which team will Peyton Manning be playing for next season?