Peyton Manning
Let’s start with the obvious choice. Manning is the biggest name that’s out there. Manning has not indicated any interest in joining the Monday Night booth, but he just might be interested if the paycheck is near Romo’s $17 million a year number.
It’s pretty obvious Manning would be a good choice for ESPN. He would create a tremendous amount of buzz due to his name and brand recognition. He knows how to break down a game and he has done so for ESPN on an ESPN+ series. People simply like Manning. It’s easy.
The only reason this wouldn’t happen would be a Manning decision. Maybe he doesn’t want to travel for 17 weeks a year. Manning also would be the one taking a risk here. Does he really need to prove that he can be a good color commentator? What if he doesn’t live up to expectations? It’s very easy to rip on anyone in the booth. Even Romo has his detractors. Why would Manning want to do it?