ESPN’s Monday Night Football broadcast is set to look different next season. All indications are that color commentator Troy Aikman will not be remaining on board with play-by-play guy Joe Buck.
Reports have indicated that Buck signed an extension with ESPN and that Aikman didn’t. There’ll be an opening in a prominent TV role for next season.
Some have jumped to a logical conclusion: ESPN should offer the job to Peyton Manning.
The all-time great quarterback from the Indianapolis Colts and Denver Broncos is all over the place in media, and he currently hosts an alternate broadcast of Monday Night Football with his brother Eli.
Couldn’t Peyton just slide into the color commentary role alongside Buck?
We’ve got new insight on that this week.
Peyton Manning to Monday Night Football?
The Athletic’s Andrew Marchand was asked about Manning’s chances of being on Monday Night Football with Buck in a traditional color commentary role. Marchand had plenty to say.
“I think Peyton is the No. 1 choice to replace Aikman, but I don’t think he is the favorite,” Marchand writes. “What does that mean? Jimmy Pitaro, ESPN’s chairman, will likely place a call to Peyton and pitch the idea of going into the booth. ESPN already has a huge contract with Manning and his Omaha Productions that includes, among other things, doing the ManningCast with his brother Eli for about 11 games.”
The problem, as Marchand goes on, is that while ESPN might want Peyton in that role, it’s harder to see him wanting to be in that role.
“In an ideal world, I think ESPN would love to team Peyton with Joe Buck,” Marchand writes. “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.”
ManningCast Dilemma
ESPN has gotten less viewers on the ManningCast this season than in past campaigns, and that might be a slight concern.
The idea of an alternate broadcast is one that will continue to appeal to ESPN, with the goal of getting eyes to watch their programming that wouldn’t otherwise watch on a given Monday night.
But if the ManningCast numbers continue to drop, it will at least force ESPN to consider making changes.
Some critics simply say the ManningCast needs less guests and more Manning brothers. Maybe that’s the solution, or maybe it’s something else all together.
But if Peyton doesn’t leave for the main booth, it’ll be a situation for ESPN to handle going forward.
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