Arizona Cardinals and AFC club are in competition again in 2023
By Jim Koch
Star quarterback Peyton Manning spurned the Arizona Cardinals to sign a free-agent deal with the Denver Broncos back in 2012.
It seems to change every day, but the Las Vegas oddsmakers are once again listing the Arizona Cardinals as the favorites to land Sean Payton. NFL analyst Ian Rapoport is reporting that this past Thursday’s meeting between the club and this offseason’s top head-coaching candidate “went well”. What then, if anything, could be standing in the way of the Cards acquiring the highly-coveted Payton?
According to Rapoport, the Denver Broncos are still very much in the mix for Payton. This should come as no surprise to the Cardinals, given their history of competing with the AFC West franchise for the services of a high-profile individual.
Anyone who feels that the Redbirds have been in this situation before with the Broncos would be absolutely correct. Back in 2012, both teams targeted Peyton Manning, the star quarterback who had won a Super Bowl championship with the Indianapolis Colts five years earlier. Arizona liked their chances of acquiring the “Sheriff” after a six-hour meeting that was reportedly highly productive.
Arizona Cardinals lost out on a chance to land Peyton Manning back in 2012
Unfortunately, the Cards needed a yes or no out of Manning sooner than he was ready to offer it. The front office had to pay a roster bonus to Kevin Kolb by a certain date, or be faced with the risk of losing a passer they had acquired in a trade just one year earlier. “Big Red” ultimately decided to stick with Kolb, and Denver gladly inked Manning to a five-year, $96 million contract.
The rest, as they say, was history. Kolb turned out to be a total bust, and was released by the Cardinals in March of 2013. Arizona then got to witness what they missed out on when Manning led the Broncos to a 24-10 victory over the Carolina Panthers in Super Bowl 50.
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Now, 11 years after losing out on Manning, the Cards are once again in a tug-of-war with Denver. This time around, the grand prize is Payton. Fans can only hope for a much more beneficial outcome for the Cardinals in 2023.
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