The mating dance has ended. Peyton Manning will not join ESPN's "Monday Night Football" booth this season, sources tell Sporting News.
ESPN held out hope that Manning would fill the hole left by Jason Witten's return to the Cowboys. But barring a miracle, sources said, Manning will not be in the booth when "Monday Night Football" kicks off its historic 50th season, with a Texans-Saints/Broncos-Raiders doubleheader on Sept. 9.
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During their last round of talks, Manning passed on joining Joe Tessitore, Booger McFarland and Lisa Salters in the "Monday Night Football" booth. Instead, the two-time Super Bowl champion opted to host ESPN's new five-part, 30-episode series, "Peyton's Places," debuting on ESPN+ in July.
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The 43-year-old's decision to say no to "Monday Night Football" ends years of back and forth between Manning, who retired from the NFL in 2016, and ESPN management led, by president Jimmy Pitaro.
Manning previously turned down the "Worldwide Leader" after Jon Gruden left "Monday Night Football" to return to the Raiders in 2018. Then, when Witten suddenly left "Monday Night Football" after only one season in the booth, ESPN took another swing at Manning knowing he'd probably have little interest.
Pitaro and content czar Connor Schell flew to Denver to personally meet with Manning on March 11, according to Marisa Guthrie of The Hollywood Reporter. Sensing Manning's ambivalence, ESPN never made a formal contract offer for "Monday Night Football," sources said.
Instead, ESPN was happy to sign Manning for his second ESPN+ show after he previously broke down NFL game film for Kobe Bryant's "Detail."
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"He won't be doing 'Monday Night,' but ESPN will still be in the Peyton Manning business in a "very big way," said one source.
ESPN declined to comment. Manning's reps also declined comment.
The end of the Manning chase could ultimately turn out to be beneficial for ESPN. The five-time MVP was always more of a pipe dream than a real possibility. After earning $248 million during his 18-year career with the Colts and Broncos, according to Spotrac, Manning doesn't need the money. He's more likely to end up in an owner's suite than a broadcast booth.
So what's holding Manning back? He envisions himself as more of an NFL owner or front-office leader a la John Elway of the Broncos, sources said. Agreeing to "Monday Night Football" would also lock him into a more grueling travel schedule than shooting "Peyton's Places" on his own time.
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In addition to the travel demands, Andrew Marchand of the New York Post previously wrote Manning is reluctant to call games featuring Eli Manning, his younger brother and the current Giants starting quarterback. It's too bad because Manning's analysis on "Detail" showed just how good of a TV analyst he can be if he puts his mind to it.
With the Manning door closed (for now), the network can finally move on. Who knows? "Monday Night Football" might be the better for it.
After being exiled to the inane "Booger Mobile" last season, McFarland could grow into the job. ESPN brass is high on McFarland's likeability, smarts and TV instincts. It was a good sign for McFarland when ESPN decided to give him a prominent role in its coverage of the 2019 NFL Draft. That makes him the heir apparent to Witten.
Or, if ESPN is not thrilled with McFarland, it could install respected front-office insider Louis Riddick in the "Monday Night Football" color commentator chair. And don't forget former Jets coach Rex Ryan, who vastly improved in his second season on the air.
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Granted, McFarland, Riddick and Ryan don't have the star power of Manning. But ESPN has always been adept at growing lesser-known announcing talents — think Kirk Herbstreit, Dick Vitale and Jay Bilas.
With ESPN looking to slow the growth of talent salaries, the network could keep its powder dry, wait for Tony Romo to play out his contract at CBS Sports, then throw $10 million a year at the ex-Cowboys quarterback. If Romo stays at CBS, ESPN could hire a TV pro like Kurt Warner of NFL Network, or a more recent player like Greg Olsen of the Panthers or ex-Browns tackle Joe Thomas.
Either way, it looks like the only place we'll see Manning's famous mug this season is during the commercial breaks on "Monday Night Football."
