Peyton Manning has turned down ESPN’s offer to serve as a commentator on Monday Night Football, according to a report from The New York Post‘s Andrew Marchand. It’s uncertain how much the network would be willing to offer Manning but it would probably be similar to the deal Tony Romo received from CBS ($18 million per season).
Manning, four years into his retirement, is not yet ready to “commit to the weekly schedule” of calling NFL games, according to Marchand.
Manning already has a working relationship with ESPN, hosting two shows — Detail and Peyton’s Places — on ESPN Plus, a streaming service. The former NFL quarterback apparently isn’t ready to take on a larger role.
ESPN has now failed to land Romo, Manning and current quarterbacks Drew Brees and Philip Rivers, who opted to continue playing instead of retiring. As of now, Joe Tessitore and Booger McFarland are still under contract with ESPN to call MNF games this fall.
ESPN clearly wants to make changes to the MNF crew so the network will likely continue searching for a big-name candidate.
