By Brady Henderson

It was more than just a shot in the dark when Seahawks officials flew to Denver in an unsuccessful attempt to meet with Peyton Manning.

According to coach Pete Carroll, the free-agent quarterback had previously reached out to the Seahawks to express his interest in playing for the team.

Peyton Manning

"He had contacted me about wanting to talk about coming here," Carroll told "Brock and Salk" on Tuesday. "By the time we got down to where we had our chance he had already set his sights on going in the direction he wound up going, with Denver."

Manning has reportedly agreed to a contract with the Broncos, who are set to announce the deal Tuesday.

Expressing interest in playing for the Seahawks -- as Carroll said Manning did -- shouldn't be mistaken for stating a desire to do so. Manning, who became a free agent when the Colts released him on March 7, explored several options. Along with Denver, he met with Tennessee, Arizona, San Francisco and Miami.

Carroll called it a "good conversation" he had with Manning but declined to go into specifics other than to say it was about Manning expressing interest.

"So that's how it started," Carroll said. "This was not just a blind shot. We had some set-up to it. It just didn't work out."

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