The Chiefs are one move away from winning the AFC West and becoming a serious playoff contender in 2012.
They only need to sign Peyton Manning.
Whoa, you say!
Manning belongs to the Indianapolis Colts, and now that he's recovered from neck surgery, they'll want him around to tutor Stanford wonderchild and No. 1 draft pick Andrew Luck.
No, they won't.
Not unless they're crazy.
Do the math here: Manning is 36 years old, and if the Colts hope to keep him on the roster for the coming season, they'll have to pick up a salary option for $28 million.
Now consider that the Colts won exactly two games last year. The team that was a perennial Super Bowl contender for virtually an entire decade is lying in ruins.
Indy needs lots and lots of help, players to surround Luck over the next several years if the Colts are going regain their status as legitimate playoff contenders.
There simply isn't enough money – not to mention that Manning's presence is more likely to hinder Luck's development than help it.
Every scout on the planet claims that Luck is ready to play…
Now.
Talk about begging for a quarterback controversy. Nope, that wouldn't make any sense at all.
Add in the fact that all of Manning's emotional ties to the Colts – and vice-versa – have been cut.
GM Bill Polian and his son Chris were fired. Ditto coach Jim Caldwell.
If you read between the lines, Manning pretty much gave a farewell speech on Tuesday, during an interview after a workout at the Colts' facility.
"I'm not in a very good place for healing, let's say that,” Manning told the Indianapolis Star. "It's not a real good environment down there right now, to say the least.
"Everybody's walking around on eggshells. I don't recognize our building right now. There's such complete and total change."
Manning is a bright, and surely knows the situation. There isn't a warm and fuzzy reception from the Colts' front office because their future most likely doesn't include their former QB – Hall of Famer or not.
And that brings us to the Chiefs.
Assuming the Colts do not exercise that option and Manning becomes a free agent, this is general manager Scott Pioli's chance to make a upgrade of galactic proportions at quarterback.
We've been over this ground before, but however much Pioli wishes that Matt Cassel – the protégé he brought along from New England – might develop into one of the league's elite quarterbacks, that's just not going to happen.
The Chiefs need a star in the sport's most important position.
Yes, they'd have to be sure Manning is healthy, but Colts running back Joseph Addai has been catching Peyton's throws over the past few weeks, and called him "game ready.”
There were different people making the decisions back then, but we all know the Chiefs went this route a few years with the addition of Joe Montana – and it worked.
Kansas City didn't get a Super Bowl out of it, but that wasn't Montana's fault – and he didn't have anything like the surrounding cast the Chiefs possess now.
Romeo Crennel's defense is solid and then some. There are excellent receivers and Pro Bowl running back Jamaal Charles should return galloping after a year out with an injury.
There are three questions to ask about the potential signing of Manning – again, assuming he's a free agent.
First, can the Chiefs afford him?
Sure.
This is a team that was $20-$30 million under the NFL salary cap last year. Cassel has a long-term contract, but the bulk of his $63 million deal was paid off early, so he'd become a reasonably priced back-up.
Think of it this way: Would you rather have one of the best quarterbacks in history – a guy with maybe three outstanding years still in front of him – for something in the range of $25 million per year, or would you sign someone permanently mediocre like Kyle Orton for $10 million?
That's a no-brainer.
Second, can the Chiefs build an offensive line quickly enough to protect their investment?
OK, that would be a little tougher, but Branden Albert is solid at one tackle and Tony Moeaki returns at tight end.
The team's personnel people like guard Jon Asamoah, who had a decent first year as a starter. Center Rodney Hudson is young but considered a good successor to the retiring Casey Wiegmann.
Yes, they need another tackle to replace Barry Richardson – desperately, in fact – and it wouldn't hurt to upgrade at guard Ryan Lilja's spot.
But those positions can be filled through the draft and/or free agency.
It's a lot easier landing a solid offensive tackle than tripping over a Super Bowl-winning quarterback.
Third, would Peyton sign with the Chiefs?
Well, he wants to play somewhere, so unless there is a huge money difference, Manning will hope to find a team that's just a quarterback away from being sensational.
The Chiefs fill that role as well as anyone.
Look around the league. What other club has enough pieces in place to be great but can't find a QB?
Sure, there might be a few teams who could pull off a shocker, but the Chiefs' most obvious competition for Manning's services probably would be the New York Jets.
The Jets might be a great fit, except it's not likely Manning would want to share New York with his brother, Eli.
Peyton is so sensitive about not crowding his sibling that he did his talking about his own situation this week – rather than waiting a few days and perhaps upstaging Eli during Super Bowl week there in Indy.
So there are your key questions – asked and answered.
You're going object again, of course, and say that Pioli isn't a risk-taker – and so far that's been his history in Kansas City.
But sometimes, an opportunity comes along that's worth the gamble and the money.
You don't get many chances to put a Hall of Famer under center with a team that has almost everything but a big-time quarterback.
If Manning is on the market, as I certainly expect him to be, then it's time for the Chiefs to shove all their chips to the center of the table.
This is the perfect fit – and would lock up some wavering season-ticket renewals, on top of it.
Recruit him if need be, Scott, but get Peyton Manning to Kansas City.
