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The St. Louis Rams just got a little bit of good news, albeit in a roundabout sort of way. According to a report from Chris Russell from ESPN 980 in Washington, DC, Manning does not want to play for the Washington Redskins. Unless, Dan Synder can find another way to woo Manning, that is a positive develop for the Rams' attempts to trade their second overall pick in the 2012 NFL Draft.
Washington has long been considered one of the lead horses for the Rams' pick and the opportunity to draft Baylor quarterback Robert Griffin III. In fact, previous reports indicated that Washington had already talked to St. Louis about a trade for the pick, but were holding out on giving up their second rounder.
With no Manning in the picture for Washington, they have few other options, especially since previous reports have said Matt Flynn is not on their radar.
There is, however, a catch, which comes via statements made by Browns GM Tom Heckert on Thursday. Heckert said that the Browns are keeping their options open. He also mentioned three other quarterbacks in the draft that Cleveland has their eye on, including Oklahoma State's Brandon Weeden.
Heckert also mentioned the possibility of trading down in the draft to net more picks. If they really do fancy Ryan Tannehill or Weeden, that would allow them to take either one of those players.
With the league year less than a week away, and free agency, I should start throwing out words of caution about being too literal minded in what you read. Teams, agents and players all engage in quite a bit of posturing this time of year.