On the heels of a surprising, uncharacteristic acquisition of Randy Moss, the 49ers are in voracious pursuit of future Hall of Fame QB Peyton Manning. In the beginning of the weekend, Manning announced that he would make a decision on Monday or Tuesday.
In an approximate 24-hour span following:
- The 49ers signed Mario Manningham
- News broke that Smith was parting ways with agent Tom Condon (who also represent Manning)
- Alex Smith flew to Miami
- Alex Smith scheduled a visit with the Seahawks
- Matt Flynn signed with the Seahawks
- Alex Smith began negotiating with Miami
Unless the 49ers are truly taking a wild gamble, all of this movement in such a short span of time would suggest that the 49ers and Manning have an imminent verbal agreement that has leaked to circles within the NFL. Especially to Smith, who sat motionless throughout free agency and suddenly hit the road in a fury looking for work.
Should Manning sign elsewhere and Smith head to South Beach, the 49ers will have an awful lot of explaining to do and need a firm backup plan in place.
Please see Matt Barrows' article that explores some extremely compelling points in the Manning-to-SF debate.