Report: ESPN ready to offer Peyton Manning up to $20 million per year

Posted by Mike Florio on March 5, 2020, 7:21 PM EST
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There may already be a new sheriff in town. And it’s The Sheriff.

Michael McCarthy of FrontOfficeSports.com reports that ESPN is ready to offer Peyton Manning $18 million to $20 million per year to serve as an analyst on Monday Night Football.

The development comes less than a week after CBS kept Tony Romo in place for a deal reportedly worth $18 million per year, when ESPN was prepared to try to pilfer him. The development also comes at a time when some believe ABC and ESPN are poised to make the NFL a massive offer that would, among other things, move Monday Night Football to ABC and return ABC to the Super Bowl rotation.

ESPN has been trying to hire Manning ever since he retired from the NFL four years ago. Most recently, he declined because he didn’t want to work games involving his brother, Eli. Now that Eli is retired, too, that’s no longer an issue.

Peyton’s last NFL contract had a $19.2 million annual payout.

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20 responses to “Report: ESPN ready to offer Peyton Manning up to $20 million per year”

  1. BIG mistake. While i don’t doubt his football acumen, some people are meant for TV, some not. He’s not.

  2. BIG risk. Peyton knows his stuff, but that is not the problem. It’s can he translate that to an audience. Romo has proven he can do it, that’s why he got 18 Mil. Only after trying to do it will we find out if Peyton can, and that is a awful lot of money to risk on maybe.

  4. Moving MNF to ABC and putting ABC in the Super Bowl rotation is a VERY good idea. Manning, well, we’ll just have to see. He certainly has the football IQ.

  6. Peyton is arguably the most prominent retired football player. I can’t see him working for less than other retired players

  7. I remember years ago Peyton was a guest in the SNF booth for about 5 minutes giving color commentary.

    It was the most informative and entertaining 5 minutes of football analysis I’d ever heard. I really think he’d be worth it to ESPN.

  8. That’s been espn’s answer for everything just throw more money at it. Manning could stink to high heaven but that doesn’t matter, let’s make him the highest pad analyst just because we can. Their programming for the most part borders on imbecile. Hot takes and loud talking doesn’t equate to riveting tv. Outside the lines is the only time I feel they are trying to put a good product out there and their 30/30 docs (most of them) anyhow are quality. But the Manning’s like Lots of money, that’s for sure. So at least they’re fishing with the right bait.

  9. He may have a wealth of knowledge and be very capable but the guy doesn’t have a voice or personality that I enjoy listening to.

  11. Manning is a goober but the guy performs well and knows the game well. He will, at worst, be the 2nd best commentator, after Romo.

  12. If a ex-QB with no SB wins is worth 18M and a 2 time SB winner is worth 20M. TB12 should be worth 60M a year…forget another year on the field.

  14. patsbrat says:
    March 5, 2020 at 8:16 pm
    Sportscasters getting RB/QB money is just insane.

    That’s way beyond RB money.

  17. Peyton’s last NFL contract had a $19.2 million annual payout.
    —–
    Eye opening that just 5 years ago the top qb’s in the league were barely scratching $20m a year, and now we’re talking about guys like J. Clowney commanding more than that in free agency! Don’t see how they can continue at this pace…

  18. I don’t get the criticisms, Mr Manning shows great personality in his commercials, he’s always been a great leader and cut up in the locker room and he knows the game inside and out. I say it’s time for some new personalities, otherwise the game is too boring.

  19. Insane amounts of money are being given to top players and announcers.I do not see how this insanity can escalate and continue indefinitely as someone has to pay for this and it ultimately always comes back to the fans.It is now cost prohibitive for a great many fans to attend games in person.The TV experiance is nearly unwatchable with the forced commercial aspect and terrible officiating.Add to that the defensive component of the game has been compromised, as no one is allowed to play physical anymore without flags being thrown.This is not the game I loved to watch in the 60-80.s.and I now watch about 2 percent of what I used to when I was a rabid NFL fan.It is really sad to see how things have progressed..or regressed.

  20. To me it doesn’t matter since I mute the announcers; they’re not telling me anything I can’t see.

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