There has been plenty of momentum behind the idea — as unlikely as it feels rolling off the tongue — that Peyton Manning might not be with the Indianapolis Colts next season. And it’s not entirely just media fodder.

NFL Network’s Michael Lombardi recently outlined why it’s possible for the Colts to work around the $28 million option bonus owed to Manning and work a trade.  If Manning is able to return to football, it’s entirely conceivable the Colts, who own the No. 1 overall pick in the 2012 NFL Draft, have a new general manager and could employ a new head coach, would chose to go in a different direction.

Those circumstances and the simmering anti-Mark Sanchez movement have sparked the theory that the Jets could figure out a way to make use of Manning.

One unnamed Jets player went so far as to call it a no-brainer. A Jets beat writer believes the team would make the call if the right circumstances play out. Plus, the world knows Rex Ryan has an affinity for Manning above all other quarterbacks.

As much as the New York tabloids would love to run with this for months, NFL Network insider Jason La Canfora throws a pretty wet blanket on the story.

“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.”

Rather, general managers around the league mention teams such as the Seahawks, Cardinals and 49ers to La Canfora as possible destinations for Manning.

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