ESPN is going to need a new color commentator in its Monday Night Football booth next season.
While Joe Buck is slated to be back on play-by-play, Troy Aikman is lined up to leave after ESPN broadcasts the Super Bowl.
Aikman apparently isn’t getting a new contract when his current one expires at the end of the season, while Buck got an extension.
That reality has started the search for a new person to sit alongside Buck, who has worked NFL games with Aikman for a quarter-century dating back to their time at Fox.
And one name does indeed seem quite logical: Greg Olsen.
Olsen, the Carolina Panthers‘ former tight end, currently works for Fox, but he’d fit well in the Monday night booth.
Greg Olsen Update
Olsen was named by The Athletic’s media reporter Andrew Marchand as a favorite to take over for Aikman.
“(Greg) Olsen as the favorite,” Marchand said. “He wants the job. He is a really good analyst.”
Marchand had just laid out the case that ESPN’s No. 1 choice may actually be Peyton Manning, the all-time great quarterback, but that he doesn’t think Manning would go for it.
“In an ideal world, I think ESPN would love to team Peyton with Joe Buck,” Marchand said. “That feels like Monday Night Football. Buck recently made his main residence in Denver and lives five minutes from Peyton, I was told. That said, Peyton has always said no to the booth. His (work from home) arrangement with Eli for the games they want to work is pretty sweet. So it is more likely Peyton says no, though maybe they could set up a hybrid work environment for Eli and him, splitting the games and doing some together. It is probably more unlikely than likely.”
If Peyton turns it down, that could leave Olsen getting the gig.
Why Greg Olsen Makes Sense
The part about Olsen that would greatly encourage ESPN toward making this move is his experience even early in his broadcasting career.
Olsen was Fox’s No. 1 NFL color commentator until the network hired Tom Brady and bumped him down a notch. That leaves the former tight end in a spot that might be below his talent level.
A jump to the Monday night booth for Olsen would be a massive career move but one that is likely warranted. It’ll be something to watch as this situation unfolds further.
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