ESPN asks Peyton Manning to take Monday Night Football job

Posted by Michael David Smith on March 19, 2019, 5:40 AM EDT
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ESPN wants Peyton Manning in the Monday Night Football booth.

Manning met with ESPN president Jimmy Pitaro and content chief Connor Schell on March 11, according to the Hollywood Reporter, but there’s no word on his level of interest.

Although Manning already works for ESPN doing video analysis of quarterbacks for ESPN+, working in the booth would be a a much bigger time commitment. Possibly more than Manning is willing to make.

If Manning turns ESPN down, they’re expected to go with Joe Tessitore on play-by-play and Booger McFarland as the analyst.

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111 responses to “ESPN asks Peyton Manning to take Monday Night Football job”

  1. I would love to see Peyton in the booth. I believe however it would either be a booth with a headset or on the field. He wants to call plays.

  2. Would be nice to see Manning in the booth, but I don’t think he’s willing to commit to that.

  6. Manning should be a coach. One of the main things that set him apart on the field was his ability to coach on the field. yes, he was a great qb until his injury, and sadly he cheated the system post injury with his hgh intake, but prior to his stint with the donkeys he was a legitimate great player. he would be one hell of a coach too.

  8. Think hard Peyton. In broadcasting there are no helpful flags, piped in crowd noise, suspension of rules or wins by edict from on high to save you. A verbal pick 6 can be more than a turnover, rather career capital punishment. Besides, he’s a bit to twangy for most folks who aren’t from the Y’all States.

  10. It is amazing to me how Manning’s incident with the female trainer at Tennessee is never brought up, especially in this highly sensitive era.

  12. MNF has not had a good crew in many years. McFarland was OK for about 8 games, then you could not shut him up. Witten was perhaps the worse announcer MNF ever had.
    I think Peyton is a funny guy, commercials, Saturday Night Live etc. but I do not know about announcing, as he seems to always have mash potatoes in his mouth.

  13. I think Manning would do great in this role. MNF is not what it used to be, but I think he would add a positive vibe.

  17. Which means no matter who’s in the booth, we will probably be sorry. Can we bring back Gifford, Meredith and Cosell?

  32. MNF is unwatchable. ABC uses weird camera angles and too close up shots on the field. It’s almost nauseating. Like MLB or College basketball on TBS & TNT. It’s terrible. And the announcers are awful. You should’ve hired Favre. I bet Madden would come out of retirement to work with him.

  34. If you have SIRIUS/XM, or even just a radio in most markets, you cna get the nationbal radio broadcast of MNF, which has been much more informative and enjoyable or quite a few years now. What the hell has America done wrong to deserve 3 solid hours of Booger McFarland?

  35. Peyton would be great, but it is hard to believe he would go to such an inferior broadcast. Replacing Collinsworth on Sunday night seems more appropriate.

  40. Joe Tessitore is a decent PBP, but Booger brought nothing to the broadcast. It’s really hard to believe ESPN can’t find a quality analyst who wants the job. It’s not like the CBS/Fox analysts who don’t know in advance what games they’re doing since they’re based on how well the teams are doing at the time… MNF is a set schedule with no flex, so the games are that much easier to prepare for.

    If Disney has sense, they’ll put MNF back on ABC for the next TV contract – ESPN as a cable TV entity is a dying brand.

  42. Hated him as a player, but he has the charisma/personality/knowledge to be good at it. I’d be fine with it. Although with a lot of people (most people) it doesn’t matter who you put in the booth, people are going to complain regardless

  44. Once again ESPN is completely out of touch with their audience. We don’t want to hear Peyton Manning’s annoying Tennessee drawl for 3 hours. And those that do like the move at first, will get tired of it fast. MARK MY WORDS.

  45. Please learn from the Witten debacle and require him to audition by doing a half-dozen simulated games to see if he can convey information and insight in a manner interesting to the viewers.

  47. Peyton is a football genius who is articulate and has a witty sense of humor. He’s a natural for MNF. But he’s better suited as a coach.

  48. Oh great, after having to listen to his cornpone on 50,000 30 second commercials for the past 20 years, now we get to hear it for 3 hours on MNF. Just what nobody asked for.

  49. This would breathe some much needed life into a failing program. SNF has totally and completely replaced this as the game of the week.

  52. I thought I wouldn’t be able to stand him until I watched him expertly break down the film of the Pats/Chiefs AFCCG. Now I kind of want him on TV.

  53. It’s on cable, Peyton. Yawn. It’s not on network TV. It’s not a broad audience, but a segmented one. Don’t banish yourself to cable. Have you watched ESPN lately? It’s the worst. ABC will be competing against its little brother with Dancing with the B-stars. It’s not the wide wide world of sports anymore.

  54. No. Perhaps time is passing me by but ESPN is unwatchable. I liked the days when straight up highlights would be played (especially the long-form NFL Prime Time). They think they are creating a better product but I would take ESPN circa 1995 over this.

  56. Peyton is too competitive. He probably knows he cannot be BETTER than Romo (maybe as good, but not better), so I’m guessing he stays retired. Also, ESPN is like the minor leagues.

  59. Peyton would actually do great in this role. There is nobody who was more well-prepared for Sundays than this guy. And even when he did SNL, the cast said that he was fully engaged and taking notes on how to do the best that he possibly could. There would not be a more prepared analyst than Peyton Manning, and I think he would be able to add quite a bit to the role.

    Get rid of Booger though, for the love of God.

  60. scoops1 says:
    March 19, 2019 at 8:07 am
    No….I don’t not need to hear the backstory of Omaha 16x a season!
    ——————-
    And, how many times would he hum the Nationwide jingle during a game???

  64. PhD says:
    March 19, 2019 at 7:28 am
    Which means no matter who’s in the booth, we will probably be sorry. Can we bring back Gifford, Meredith and Cosell?
    ————————————————————————————–
    They’re dead bro

  67. Not sure how popular this will be, but I’ve never cared before, so here goes:

    I don’t mind Joe T that much. Witten was obviously awful from start to finish. Booger annoys me in every sense…from his dumb nickname, to his constant interruptions, to the Boogermobile. He is *worse* than Tony Siragusa in the end zone. I think Peyton would actually be fantastic in the two spot. He might be the only thing that can save MNF at this point, because the broadcast is usually unwatchable.

  68. A big problem is that drawl, which is very irritating to some, plus MNF (& SNF for that matter) have more international audiences than other games and they won’t understand half of his words.

  69. I refuse to watch MNF as long as a grown man goes by the name “Booger”. I don’t want to hear the word “Booger” repeatedly used for the entirety of the MNF broadcast. I get that it was a childhood nickname given by his mother. At 41 years of age Anthony Darelle McFarland has long ago outgrown such a juvenile name. Just my opinion.

  70. Joe Tessitore is a decent PBP,

    Mahomes runs for a 2 yard gain.

    Tessitore: SHOWTIME MAHOMES!

  73. coronalt says:
    March 19, 2019 at 6:57 am
    It is amazing to me how Manning’s incident with the female trainer at Tennessee is never brought up, especially in this highly sensitive era.

    45 44 Rate This

    ———————

    Can you imagine if Brady did that in college? Oh my.

    The hypocrisy is amazing.

  77. The problem isn’t always necessarily the people per se but the poor presentation has more to do with the fact the the NFL forbids any criticism. Sean McDonough is an excellent PBP but they got rid of him for calling out the NFL.

  78. Manning should keep doing what he’s doing. Commercials and guest appearances. He’s good at 30-60 second performances. Very good!!

    MNF has become so watered down it’s no wonder they have difficulty filling the booth.

  79. your6ringsaremeaninglessnow says:
    March 19, 2019 at 6:42 am
    Manning’s robotic personality won’t work on television.
    _______________________________________________________

    Where have you been for the past 20 years? Manning is hilariously personable and funny. There is a reason he gets all those commercials, he’s not afraid to make fun of himself. That takes great confidence and wit. If anything, the MNF booth isn’t big enough for him. He should be on the #1 team for NBC or FOX (Romo is too good to be replaced at CBS) You want robotic, Troy Aikman now that’s robotic.

    If anything, MNF should be going after Pat McAfee.

  81. Scott ‘Wide Right’ Norwood says: March 19, 2019 at 6:45 am

    Just Joe and Booger might be the worst MNF crew of all time, please bring back Dennis Miller and Tony Kornheiser
    ======================================

    Did you forget the horror years of the Rush Limbaugh on MNF?

  82. coronalt says:
    March 19, 2019 at 6:57 am
    It is amazing to me how Manning’s incident with the female trainer at Tennessee is never brought up, especially in this highly sensitive era.
    –
    Never mind the incident, how about Daddy M not once but twice trashing this woman’s career to protect the HGH cheater. Like Mel Brooks once said, “It’s good to be King”

  83. crik911 says:
    March 19, 2019 at 5:52 am

    I would love to see Peyton in the booth. I believe however it would either be a booth with a headset or on the field. He wants to call plays.
    ________________________________________________________________________

    If it’s too much time commitment for him to research and call 1 game per week, then he’s not taking a head or assistant head coaching job. MUCH more time commitment, MUCH less pay.

  84. You would have to turn your tv to 4×3 instead of 16×9 in order for his five head to fit on the screen.

    On a serious note, I believe he would add to the broadcast with his encyclopedic knowledge of the game delivered with his “awe shucks” personality.

  86. superfanentertainment says:

    March 19, 2019 at 8:48 am

    Once again ESPN is completely out of touch with their audience. We don’t want to hear Peyton Manning’s annoying Tennessee drawl for 3 hours. And those that do like the move at first, will get tired of it fast. MARK MY WORDS.
    —————————————-
    Least you forget, Peyton Manning “attended” Univ of Tennessee for a few years. He is originally from New Orleans La. where his Dad Archie was playing for the Saints and living. He and Eli went to Isadore Newman high school there. Being a native myself, I have to admit, he doesn’t have a New Orleans accent, but I guess he couldn’t escape his Parents Mississippi DNA.

  88. if this happens, I beg the NFL to never have the Packers play another Monday night game.

  89. I would be willing to bet that part of Peyton’s conversation with them (if he is as smart as I think he is) would be to say “I’ll consider it ONLY IF “Booger” McFarland is NOT part of the MNF crew.

    That moron is absolutely INTOLERABLE to listen to.

    I’ve watched MNF since I was about 9 or 10. So we are talking half a CENTURY.

    And I’m being honest and not exaggerating when I tell you that for the FIRST time this coming year if “Booger” is not removed from that Broadcast I’m going to turn OFF the MNF broadcast sound and turn on a local radio station instead.

    It REALLY IS THAT BAD!

    He Yells, and yammers ridiculous and/or obvious things every time he speaks.

    Arghhhhh!!!!

  90. MNF has become a scripted Variety show….I doubt Peyton wants to be part of that. He would be better on Thursday Night Football with a better supporting cast.

  91. This is all because of Tony Romo’s success. Peyton knows the game, but I don’t think he has the charisma that Romo has which is necessary for the job.

  95. ill42 says:
    March 19, 2019 at 10:08 am
    PhD says:
    March 19, 2019 at 7:28 am
    Which means no matter who’s in the booth, we will probably be sorry. Can we bring back Gifford, Meredith and Cosell?
    ————————————————————————————–
    They’re dead bro
    —————————–
    And yet, they’d still be an upgrade. I can picture them interviewing Michael Jackson and James Brown at half time.

  96. I’d like to see Ian Eagle and Tony Romo as host of MNF. Too bad they’re both under contract with CBS..!!

  98. They should give him the job. Then, he can explain why a rich pregnant woman would acquire HGH from an anti-aging clinic, and not from a certified OB/GYN. The doctor at the Guyer Institute was caught supplying HGH illegally from China back in 2008. Then, men were sent to Charlie Sly’s parents’ home in efforts to intimidate the accuser into recanting the actual event. This story was quickly tucked under the rug. Never mind the fact that he paid Jamie Naughright off twice and got her fired from Florida Southern College. This is not talked about enough.

  100. In my opinion, MNF has always seemed to be too big a stage for ESPN. It just seems like ESPN took the air out of the balloon when they began producing MNF. It’s like they took on an A-level movie franchise and then proceeded to cast it with B to D level actors. Hall of Fame level ex-players like Manning, Brady, Brees, etc. are too big of names to keep broadcasting this on ESPN.

    This production/game should be one of those “simulcast” shows like they do with Thursday night football on CBS and NFL Network. Disney could put the traditional game broadcast with Peyton (and another announcer with knowledge and charisma) on ABC which resembles MNF’s glory days while ESPN could broadcast a version with more emphasis on in-depth analysis and fantasy football stat wrap up for the week- for the fantasy football/stat junkie crowd that would gravitate toward that type of content. ESPN could use people like Casserly, Riddick, Bruschi, etc. The pregame show could be broadcast on both networks.

    As it stands now, the ESPN product is garbage even when they do luck into a great game like KC vs. LAR was last season.

  103. Steal Tony Dungy away from NBC, pair him with Peyton and get a solid, natural sounding announcer and you possibly could have greatness on Monday nights again. (Analysts with the first name of “Booger” or similar need not apply.) ESPN needs to spend the $$$ to produce Hank Williams’ theme song up to NBC’s music production quality or go way back to the Cosell days and produce a solid identity theme off of that. Also… matching jackets with a logo… Make the NFL great again.

  104. There is a grown man with the name Booger? Please take the job Peyton, please!!!! Your natural comedic skills are sorely needed on Monday Nights, ESPNs hired stooges have been KILLING ME the last couple years. Its unbearable. Take the job Peyton, make ESPN reset the booth man market, theyll do it for you.

  105. FootballSeasonRules says:
    March 19, 2019 at 1:00 pm
    They should give him the job. Then, he can explain why a rich pregnant woman would acquire HGH from an anti-aging clinic, and not from a certified OB/GYN. The doctor at the Guyer Institute was caught supplying HGH illegally from China back in 2008. Then, men were sent to Charlie Sly’s parents’ home in efforts to intimidate the accuser into recanting the actual event. This story was quickly tucked under the rug. Never mind the fact that he paid Jamie Naughright off twice and got her fired from Florida Southern College. This is not talked about enough.
    =====================================

    Peton Manning is GD’d SAINT!!! You watch your mouth, sir!!!!

  106. ESPN has a ton of analysts on the college side. Not sure why they aren’t even considering putting one of those guys in the booth instead. Todd Blackledge and Brian Griese both played in the league and would be competent, which is more than what they have now. Tessitore was on the NCAA side, after all.

  107. A person from new England making fun of anyone’s accent is comedy gold. No worse accent on the planet than the new England yokels

  108. New England is a big tent with many accents, dialects, patois if you will. most of which is more easily understood by more people as compared to the drawl. To which specific regional affect were you referring? Now if you said NU YAWK……

  109. Funny how no one cares that Manning, back when he played at Tennessee, slid down the training table and shoved his bare taint into Tennessee Volunteer’s trainer Jamie Naughright’s face.

    When you’re a white QB who wins games, you can get away with anything.

  110. It appears the consensus here is to get rid of Booger. I could not agree more. The BoogerMobile was horrific, it’s gone either way.

    Yes, Payton has a drawl, but I’ll forgive that for his knowledge of the game. And he also has a sense of humor, as was refreshingly noted by a commenter above, “Cut that meat!” (Yes, I know an advertising guy or gal wrote the line, but it’s delivery was great. I have thought many a time I’d like to see that commercial get airtime again.) I’d love to see Payton as a coach, but I’d be happy to have him in the MNF booth.

    And yes, pay the royalty rights, and bring back Hank Williams. That segment was fantastic!

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