What To Know
- ESPN reportedly considers Peyton Manning its top choice to join Joe Buck if Troy Aikman’s contract expires, per The Athletic’s Andrew Marchand.
- Manning’s remote ‘ManningCast’ role and the travel required for a traditional booth job could make him difficult to recruit, with Greg Olsen considered another favorite.
- The speculation follows reported tension between Buck and Aikman after Buck received a contract extension while Aikman’s renewal remained unresolved.
As the Monday Night Football booth continues to face a potential shakeup ESPN‘s, supposed dream pick for Troy Aikman’s successor is already inside the network family—though landing him is a long shot.
According to The Athletic’s Andrew Marchand, Hall of Fame quarterback Peyton Manning is ESPN’s No. 1 choice to team up withJoe Buck if Aikman’s contract expires following the Super Bowl in February.
However, Marchand reports that the logistics could present a hurdle. Manning and his Omaha Productions company are tied to a lucrative, long-term partnership with ESPN for ManningCast. That setup lets Peyton and brother Eli Manning to analyze NFL games from the comfort of their own homes, which allows them to avoid the hectic cross-country travel schedule required of traditional booth analysts.
But geographical proximity doesn’t appear to be a major issue: Buck recently relocated to Denver, placing him just five minutes from Manning’s doorstep. But convincing Peyton to trade his remote setup for a weekly stadium grind remains a challenge. If Manning passed on the opportunity, Fox color commentator Greg Olsen is considered the favorite for the role as well, per Marchand.
The speculation comes amid bubbling tension between Buck and Aikman. Cracks in the partnership surfaced after Buck signed a six-year contract extension with ESPN worth $108 million in September. Puck’s Dylan Byers reported that the tension got so bad it almost turned into a physical altercation between the pair ahead of one of the Monday Night Football games.
Aikman admitted on the Sports Media with Richard Deitsch podcast that he expected his own renewal to be finalized at the same time, but expressed that he was frustrated that he hadn’t heard from network executives yet.
Meanwhile, some outlets like The Guardian have previously speculated that CBS Sports or Amazon Prime Video could be potential next stops for Aikman when his contract expires should ESPN not offer him an extension.