Everyone has an opinion as to where Peyton Manning should or shouldn't go next season, including Las Vegas oddsmakers, who see the Arizona Cardinals as the top team to land No. 18's services next season. The Seattle Seahawks aren't far behind them though, and have some compelling reasons why he should continue his career in the great Northwest.
Here are the odds. Apparently the Seahawks have the same chance of him retiring next season:
Peyton Manning odds (next season's team):
Cardinals: 19% ($100 wins $250)
Dolphins: 16.5% ($100 wins $300)
Redskins: 13% ($100 wins $400)
Jets: 9.5% ($100 wins $600)
Chiefs: 7.5% ($100 wins $800)
Retire: 6% ($100 wins $1,000)
Seahawks: 6% ($100 wins $1,000)
Texans: 4% ($100 wins $1,500)
49ers: 3% ($100 wins $2,000)
Broncos: 3% ($100 wins $2,000)
Titans: 1.5% ($100 wins $4,000)
Team Not Listed: 11% ($100 wins $500)
Changes since opening odds . . .
$100 on retiring started off paying only $250, now paying $1,000.
$100 on Cardinals started off paying $2,500, now pays only $250.
$100 on Chiefs started off paying $5,000, now pays only $800.
But adversely to Las Vegas, ESPN's Matt Williamson thinks Seattle is one of the best spots for Peyton to land:
Seattle is interesting because a year ago they were very active in free agency adding several pieces of their puzzle -- with the exception of quarterback. The supporting cast certainly isn't perfect, but there are pieces in place for the Seahawks. And Manning would make all of those respective pieces even stronger, especially considering that much of Seattle's talent is young. With a power ground game, an improving offensive line and some young receiving weapons to work with, Manning might be able to accomplish quite a bit with this offense.
As does Grantland's Bill Barnwell, though the offensive line there makes him a bit skeptical of him heading to Seattle.
With a ton of talent on both sides of the ball, Manning can look at the possibility of playing with a top-five defense and an offense that features Sidney Rice, Doug Baldwin, Mike Williams, and Zach Miller at receiver. The offensive line remains a question mark and Seattle hasn't done a great job of keeping those guys healthy. It's reasonable to wonder if their medical staff will be able to keep Manning on the field.
It's going to be a long strange trip from here on it for Peyton's career, buckle up and enjoy the ride. It started with Peyton's goodbye press conference today, as SB Nation's own Brad Wells discusses the situation below:
For more on the Seahawks, head over to Field Gulls.