Add ESPN analyst Ron Jaworski to the growing list of football pundits who have a strong opinion on where Peyton Manning should play next season.
During an interview with WPEN-FM in Philadelphia, Jaworski said he could see Manning in the Big Apple as the right fit.
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"I love (Jets quarterback) Mark Sanchez, and there are 25 other quarterbacks in this league that I would take Peyton Manning over," Jaworski said, via The Indianapolis Star. "(But) there's a turf war in New York. The Giants just won the Super Bowl. The Jets are fighting for every inch of space they can get in the newspaper. How do you get that inch? How do you get the headlines? You sign Peyton Manning."
The Colts face a March 8 deadline when the quarterback is set to receive a $28 million bonus, and owner Jim Irsay said last week the two sides have talked more in recent weeks. Jaworski, like many others, doesn't expect Manning back in Indianapolis, and in his opinion the ideal destination is a Super Bowl contender with a void to fill at quarterback.
"I think it's best for Peyton to go and play on a team that can compete for a Super Bowl, a team that might be a quarterback away from elevating that team to Super Bowl status," he said. "I think that would be a win-win situation."
Jets coach Rex Ryan recently called Sanchez an "ascending" talent while taking part in a moderated discussion with a collection of Long Island businessmen, but declined to talk about a possible pursuit of Manning, citing league rules that prohibit tampering.
