Now that Peyton Manning has officially hit the open market, speculation is flying everywhere as to where he might want to continue his career. Almost every team without a Tom Brady on it will be ringing up No. 18 to vie for his services next year, but it will take a number of variables to draw Manning's attention, with one of those, of course, being salary cap space.
As ESPN's John Clayton noted, one of the teams with the most cap space to work with are the Seattle Seahawks, a franchise that could seriously use a QB of his caliber. And with the money they have right now, it seems like it wouldn't put them behind the 8-ball to sign him:
The Seahawks entered the week with $36.025 million of room, then signed running back Marshawn Lynch to a four-year, $31 million contract. Signing Manning wouldn't be a problem. Because of their cap room, the Seahawks are candidates to go after the most expensive defender in free agency, Texans defensive end Mario Williams, but they could switch priorities and upgrade the quarterback position. They currently have Tarvaris Jackson at quarterback. Upgrading to Manning wouldn't challenge their cap.
Pete Carroll and Co. are poised to make a big splash this offseason with the money they have, but can they make a push hard enough to reel in Peyton?
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