Peyton Manning meeting with Titans in Nashville Tennessee

4:40 PM, Mar 14, 2012   |    comments
  • Share
  • Email
  • Print
  • - A A A +

By John Glennon The Tennessean

The Titans are meeting with free agent quarterback Peyton Manning at Baptist Sports Park this afternoon.

Coach Mike Munchak, General Manager Ruston Webster and Chief Operating Officer Mike Reinfeldt flew to Raleigh-Durham this morning, picked up Manning and returned to Nashville at around 2:10 p.m.

The group entered Baptist Sports Park a little after 2:30 p.m. without stopping to speak to media or a gathering of fans outside the team's MetroCenter facility.

The Titans' private plane left Nashville this morning originally bound for Atlanta, but the flight quickly diverted to North Carolina. Manning has spent a lot of time working out at Duke University near the Raleigh-Durham airport.

The Titans are the fourth team the four-time NFL MVP is known to have met with. He met with the Broncos, Cardinals and Dolphins earlier this week. On Sunday, Titans owner Bud Adams told The Tennessean that he wanted his front office to aggressively pursue the former University of Tennessee star.

The Titans also hosted another free agent with local ties, center Scott Wells.

Wells, who attended Brentwood Academy and the University of Tennessee, has been with the Green Bay Packers for the past seven seasons. He earned a Super Bowl ring in 2011 when the Packers defeated the Steelers.

On Tuesday the Titans hosted seven-time Pro Bowl guard Steve Hutchinson, who was recently released by the Minnesota Vikings in a salary-cutting move.

Hutchinson, 34, has played 11 years in the NFL. He finished the past two seasons on injured reserve - with a thumb injury in 2010 and a concussion last year.

If the Titans were to sign Hutchinson, he'd likely replace of Jake Scott, a four-year starter who was flying to Arizona on Tuesday night to visit the Cardinals.

The Titans offensive line was one of the best in the league when it came to pass protection last year, allowing the second-fewest sacks. But the running game was surprisingly poor, second-worst in the league despite the presence of Chris Johnson.

Tackles Michael Roos and David Stewart are considered safe, but the Titans wanted to re-assess the interior line positions.