Okay, okay, maybe he’s only the second most talked about item, behind, of course, the surging Denver Tebows Broncos. Still, for the last several months, Manning has drawn more gossip and back-page press than the National Enquirer.

The Colts, whom he’s currently under contract with, are weighing their only options, trying to determine whether to retain him — eating a $28 million option bonus for a potential mentor to Andrew Luck — or cut him loose, an unfathomable scenario to Indianapolis’ faithful.

If it’s the latter, we may have early insight into where Peyton may end up.

Per NFL Network’s Jason La Canfora, “general managers around the league” have mentioned the Seahawks, Cardinals, and 49ers as “possible destinations” for Manning.

The recent buzz has linked Manning to the Jets, who are revamping their offensive coaching staff after a late-season meltdown culminated in locker room turmoil and dissension. Quarterback Mark Sanchez has been trashed lately, both by the media and his own teammates, who’ve publicly come out and suggested that Gang Green needs to look elsewhere for their franchise signal-caller.

Might the Jets heed their call, and, for the second time in four years, swoop in and acquire a future Hall of Fame QB? Could the Big Apple become occupied by the Brothers Manning?

To quote Lee Corso: Not so fast, my friend.

La Canfora threw cold water on the idea Thursday, saying the potential marriage doesn’t add up and is unlikely to materialize.

“People I talk to in the league just don’t see it happening,” La Canfora told “NFL Total Access on Thursday. “It just doesn’t add up to where (Manning) wants to be.”

No, the real horses in this race evidently reside in the NFC West.

On top of what La Canfora is hearing, CBS’ Charley Casserly, a well-respected name in league circles, dubbed the Cardinals as the “one team to watch” due to the probable departure of Kevin Kolb, and coach Ken Whisenhunt’s prior experience with an all-time great under center.

It’s a fit that’d make sense from a logistical standpoint, too. Arizona offers everything the Colts do — and more.

Manning would continue to play indoors, with an elite receiver, an above-average running game, and … the best part? Doing so in a division that even the Crimson Tide could give a run for its money.

However, the victory was bittersweet for the elder Fitzgerald, as his son came away with a scare.

Per ESPN, an MRI revealed that Larry Fitzgerald suffered a bruised lung during the game, and was seen coughing up blood on the sidelines.

The “definitive results” won’t be known until Monday morning, which dad confirmed on Twitter.

“Cardinals Pro Bowler Larry Fitzgerald suffered a Lung injury was spitting up blood on sidelines. Will have MRI MONDAY,” Fitzgerald Sr. tweeted.

After Fitzgerald “took a hard shot,” he was checked for a concussion by the Cards’ medical staff, who realized that it’s instead a chest ailment.

It sounds painful, but if Fitz was hurting, it certainly didn’t show in his play.

Totaling 149 yards on nine receptions, Fitzgerald impressively snagged a pair of clutch grabs on Arizona’s final drive, looking animated after both.

He finished his sixth Pro Bowl season with 80 catches, 1,411 yards, and eight scores, doing so with an inconsistent quarterback situation.

With all due respect to the Johnson’s — Calvin and Andre — Fitzgerald reaffirmed himself as the NFL’s best receiver this year.

Arizona’s fellow wideouts, particularly Early Doucet, aren’t worthy of being showered with the same accolades, and, according to the elder Fitzgerald, are instead deserving of criticism.

On Monday, Larry Fitzgerald Sr., a prominent Minnesota sports writer, bashed Doucet on his Twitter account, ripping him for the lack of production opposite his son.

“Early Doucet bombed this year he drops to many passes not a dependable No.2,” he tweeted. “Needs to work harder at his job. He dropped 5 TDs this year.”

When asked about his now-controversial tweet, Fitzgerald Sr. elaborated on Doucet, citing the fourth-year pro’s questionable work ethic as a reason to pass judgment.

“I just know that Larry invited him to come and work out with him this summer and some guys take initiative and do it, some guys don’t,” the elder Fitzgerald said when contacted Monday. “But with the lockout, I thought he would have worked on it a little harder. That is me. People criticize me because they think I talk too much. That is just how I see it.”

Doucet, who’s actually the team’s third receiver, tripped while attempting to make the game-tying catch in the fourth quarter of the Cards’ loss to the Bengals Saturday. Despite the gaffe, Doucet is enjoying the best season of his career with 53 receptions for 682 yards and five touchdowns.

Fitzgerald Sr. may have a point or two with what he’s saying — and later iterated that he’s not “picking on” Doucet — but airing your dirty laundry in public is never a good idea, especially if it could, and probably will, create an awkward strain between two teammates.

During the Cards’ 23-20 win against the Rams on Sunday, Wells exploded for 228 yards and a touchdown on 27 carries, good for an incredible 8.4 yards-per-carry average.

The total set a new franchise record for rushing yards in a single game, surpassing the previous high held by LeShon Johnson in 1996.

It was a particularly eye-raising performance by Wells, who hadn’t topped the century mark on the ground since Week 3. A nagging knee injury contributed to his lack of production, but he showed a deceptive degree of speed and power we’d expect from the former first-round pick.

Finally injury-free, Wells probably won’t have the same success against the Cowboys’ top ten run defense in Week 13, but should continue to be the focal point of Arizona’s offense, especially if John Skelton remains under center.

According to ESPN’s Adam Schefter, Fitzgerald will sign an eight-year, $120 million deal — that includes nearly $50 million in guarantees — with the Cards.

In one fell swoop, Fitz becomes the NFL’s highest-paid receiver, and will earn more guaranteed money than any non-quarterback in league history.

It’s certainly a jaw-dropping amount, though it’s been a long time coming for the five-time Pro Bowler.

Since Fitzgerald entered the league in 2004, he’s quickly established himself as a premier wideout, arguably top three in the NFL, along with the Johnson’s — Andre and Calvin.

In his seven years, all with ‘Zona, Fitzgerald has totaled 613 receptions, 8,204 receiving yards, and 65 receiving touchdowns, despite playing on some offenses that have lacked a capable supporting cast. An example of that came last season, when Fitz managed to haul in 90 passes for over 1,100 yards and six scores, even with Derek Anderson and John Skelton behind center.

Now that Kevin Kolb’s the established signal-caller, it should be a vast improvement over the likes of Anderson, who is mediocre — to say the least. Fitzgerald has a chance to significantly improve upon his 2010 numbers, and possibly even blow past his previous career highs. Get used to it, because the combination of Kolb and Fitz will be a mainstay in the desert for years to come.

ESPN’s Adam Schefter reports that the Cardinals dealt running back Tim Hightower to the Redskins in exchange for a conditional late-round draft pick and defensive end Vonnie Holliday.

Hightower presumably wore out his welcome in Arizona after coughing up the ball multiple teams in the last few seasons. Even though he’s a solid pass-catching option, Hightower couldn’t correct his fumbling problem and was quickly demoted in favor of Beanie Wells.

In Washington, Hightower will likely have a niche carved out in coach Mike Shanahan’s offense, and is a good bet to take over as the starter.

The Cardinals will move on with Wells as the feature back with Ryan Williams as his direct backup.

Holliday, who remains productive, will join a talented Cards defensive line but is nearing the end at age-35. He was likely just thrown in to sweeten the deal, though it never hurts to have additional depth in the trenches.

After a flurry of moves and rumors, give Cardinals general manager Rod Graves a ton of credit; he’s willing to take any necessary steps to improve his team. Next up on his hitlist? Braylon Edwards, perhaps.

Might the Cards be on the verge of acquiring a lethal complement to Larry Fitzgerald? If what the rumor mill is churning out is correct, it appears so.

According to Mike Jurecki of XTRA Phoenix, the Cardinals are “working on a deal” with free agent wideout Braylon Edwards. Jurecki, covering his bases, warns that “it could fall through”, but to be on standby for further news.

Edwards has received lukewarm interest on the free agent circuit, and it’s already been reported that he won’t be returning to his former team — the Jets. Because teams aren’t beating down his door for his services, Jurecki notes that a potential pact could come in the form of an incentive-laden one-year deal.

Should this marriage materialize, ‘Zona would have completely retooled its offense to become the league’s next juggernaut. Already possessing arguably the NFL’s best receiver in Fitzgerald, Edwards adds a threat of his own volition and would certainly draw the double team away from Fitz. Add quarterback Kevin Kolb and tight end Todd Heap — both acquired this week — into the mix and the Cardinals offense looks downright scary on paper.

This is not a slam dunk to happen by any means, but it makes perfect sense from a football standpoint. It’s definitely a situation worth monitoring.

ESPN’s Adam Schefter reports that the Cardinals have signed Heap to a two-year contract.

After Ryan rolled out the red carpet and personally chauffeured him from the airport, Heap spent the early portion of Sunday at the Jets facilities.

But Heap apparently said ‘thanks, but no thanks’ to their potential offer and is now presumably on his way to Arizona. It’s not a surprise either, considering he was born in the Grand Canyon State and played his college ball locally at ASU.

It wasn’t nearly on the same level as the Asomugha debacle, but it’s got to be another swift kick to the stomach of Ryan, who knew Heap well from their days in Baltimore together. Gang Green’s head man is now 0-2 in recruiting free agents this year, Plaxico Burress aside.

With the Cardinals, Heap figures to be in line to start for the team and is another weapon for new quarterback Kevin Kolb. Although he’s far removed from his dominant days, Heap is still a threat in the middle of the field and continued to display excellent blocking ability last season.

If Heap can avoid injury — something that’s plagued him for the latter portion of his career — he has the potential to put up around 600 yards and five scores this season in Ken Whisenhunt’s offense.

NFL.com reports the Cardinals and Eagles agreed on a trade that ships Kevin Kolb off to Arizona and Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie to Philadelphia, as expected. In addition to DRC, Philly also landed a 2012 second-round draft selection.

Kolb will sign a five-year, $63.5 million extension with $21.5 in guaranteed money.

A heavy price to pay for a reasonably unproven player, but a move that Arizona had to make if they were to secure their franchise quarterback.

The 2010 campaign was a disaster for ‘Zona as they played musical chairs with their signal-callers en route to a 5-11 finish. Now with the fifth-year Kolb on board, Larry Fitzgerald and the rest of the Cardinals’ weapons have a reason to smile again.

Despite a minor holdup, the Vikings and Redskins have completed a trade that sends quarterback Donovan McNabb to Minnesota in exchange for a 2012 sixth-round draft pick and conditional sixth-round selection in 2013.

This should have been finalized hours ago, but McNabb reportedly needed his contract reworked and the $10 million bonus from last season removed before the Vikes signed off on the deal.

Now that he’s officially a Viking, McNabb figures to start the season atop the depth chart, while rookie Christian Ponder holds a clipboard and learns from a seasoned veteran. There’s no guarantee that McNabb will recapture his form of years past; in fact, it’s nearly an improbability.

But Ponder, from all accounts, was not going to be up to speed in time to make a positive impact this season. If he can stay healthy and improve his play, McNabb gives Minnesota the best chance to win in 2011. It will be easier said than done, though.

The Redskins, on the other hand, move on from an albatross and are left with John Beck, Rex Grossman, and the recently-acquired Kellen Clemens at quarterback.

Out in the desert, the proposed trade that would send Kevin Kolb to the Cardinals from the Eagles is not completed yet, but talks remain ongoing and a deal is expected to be done “by the end of the week.”

Kolb to the Cards was by far the worst kept secret of the offseason. For months, it was reported to be a virtual lock that he’d end up in ‘Zona, with the compensation likely to include a player — cornerback Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie — and a draft pick.

With a pact on the horizon, Larry Fitzgerald will once again have a capable quarterback that can get him the football.