With Jason Witten leaving ESPN’s “Monday Night Football” broadcast to rejoin the Dallas Cowboys, the network might be eyeing Peyton Manning as a replacement.
ESPN will make a requisite inquiry to Manning about his availability for the “MNF” analyst gig, according to the New York Post’s Andrew Marchand. ESPN reportedly was willing to top Jon Gruden’s previous $6.5 million salary for Manning’s services a year ago and could offer that again.
Witten mostly struggled as a first-year broadcaster on ESPN, while his former teammate, Tony Romo, continued to excel in the same position at CBS. Witten, an 11-time Pro Bowl tight end, recently accepted an offer from the Cowboys to come out of retirement for another round in the NFL.
Manning has worked with ESPN in the past as part through his ESPN+ show, “Detail.” The former NFL quarterback has excellent football knowledge, but the expectation, according to Marchand, is Manning will stay on the sidelines.
