Report: Miami Dolphins Owner Stephen Ross “Infatuated” With Idea of Signing Peyton Manning

With so many big name athletes taking their talents to South Beach these days, would we really be surprised if Peyton Manning (should he hit the market) follows suit?

It just so happens that the franchise who has been searching for an adequate replacement for Dan Marino now for more than 10 years is still looking for a quarterback that can take them to the promised land. It also just so happens that Dolphins owner Stephen Ross is reportedly “infatuated” with the idea of bringing in Peyton as his quarterback, and they are expected to wait as long as they have to to be able to make a move on the Indianapolis legend.

Here is what Barry Jackson wrote in the Miami Herald about Manning potentially landing with the Dolphins:

If the Dolphins are led to believe by agent Tom Condon that they’re a serious contender for Manning when he’s released – and that his arm should be strong enough by the start of the season – then they are expected to wait as long as necessary on Manning if he doesn’t make a decision quickly. That’s because owner Stephen Ross is infatuated with the idea of signing him. The Dolphins believe they have a realistic chance of luring Manning, who owns a condo in South Beach and has an affinity for South Florida.

If the Dolphins sign Manning, it could completely shake up the draft. Furthermore, it could shake up the AFC East and AFC race in general. The Dolphins came on strong at the end of last year after looking like they would for sure be picking up Andrew Luck halfway through the season. There was a point where they were pretty much unanimously the worst team in the NFL, but the defense turned it up and guys started making plays on offense.

With Manning potentially in the fold, these guys could be legitimate contenders in the AFC East and would undoubtedly be better contenders than the Jets. Peyton Manning is worth eight or nine victories a season alone, and I don’t think he’s played with a defense as good as Miami has except for some of the units in the playoffs.

This is a development that could be absolutely huge for the NFL. Manning is a dominant player and in his absence, some have actually seemed to forget that. Even if he’s 90 percent, he’s still better than all but about five quarterbacks in the league.

Kudos to Miami if they are able to pull this move off.