One day after Peyton Manning notified the Miami Dolphins they are out of the running for his services, Denver Broncos representatives on Friday chartered a private plane to Raleigh-Durham (N.C.) International Airport to work out the free-agent quarterback.
Manning staged his workout Friday at nearby Duke University for a Broncos contingent led by John Elway, the team's executive vice president of football operations, and coach John Fox. They were joined by general manager Brian Xanders, offensive coordinator Mike McCoy, quarterbacks coach Adam Gase and medical personnel.
After their plane touched down at 1:07 p.m. ET, the Broncos' brass left the airport in a white van for the Duke campus.
"We enjoyed visiting with Peyton today in N.C.," Elway tweeted after the session. "He threw the ball great and looked very comfortable out there. Watching him throw today was the next step in this important process for our team and Peyton. It was a productive visit and went well."
Along with Denver, the Tennessee Titans expect to work out Manning, but no date has been set, NFL Network's Michael Lombardi reported Friday. Jonathan Hutton of the Titans Sports Network later reported via Twitter that Manning will work out for the team Saturday in Knoxville, Tenn.
Also, a surprise third team, the San Francisco 49ers, has entered the fold. Lombardi confirmed an ESPN report Friday that Manning worked out for coach Jim Harbaugh and offensive coordinator Greg Roman at Duke on Tuesday night and underwent a physical Wednesday.
Teams likely want to see Manning throw the ball "60 to 70" times, according to NFL Network's Mike Mayock, and "want to see if he still has the same arm strength that he did in the first 20 throws."
Added Mayock: "If I'm the Denver Broncos and I'm going to put a significant financial investment into Peyton Manning, what I want to see is pretty much what I usually see at the college workouts for the top-level college players ... if I get Peyton Manning, and it's a healthy Peyton Manning, I'm thinking Super Bowl."
Despite having Xanders and "money people" present for the Broncos, no signing will take place Friday, ESPN reported.
The parameters of the five-year, $90 million deal Manning signed with the Indianapolis Colts in August are serving as the starting point for negotiations on his next NFL contract, a source with knowledge of the situation told NFL Network's Albert Breer.
Manning has been throwing at Duke under the direction of David Cutcliffe, Duke's head coach and Manning's former offensive coordinator at the University of Tennessee. Cutcliffe, who also coached Eli Manning at the University of Mississippi, was present during Manning's throwing session on Friday.
"It's hard to count the number of balls. Probably 50 or 60 throws and he's throwing the football well," Cutcliffe told ESPN. "He's worked hard to get to this point."
One team off the board is Miami. Manning phoned the Dolphins on Thursday to inform the organization it was out of the running for his services, multiple sources told NFL.com's Jeff Darlington.
It was widely believed over the last 24 hours that Manning would not sign with Miami, but neither side had formally removed themselves from the mix before the former Colts quarterback informed the team Thursday.
Lombardi reported Manning has said before that "Miami is a great place to vacation, but you don't want to play there."
Also, Arizona Cardinals coach Ken Whisenhunt said Friday that he was prepared to move forward without Manning after giving quarterback Kevin Kolb a $7 million bonus.
