Former Indianapolis Colts quarterback Peyton Manning was reportedly offered a contract from CBS with an average annual value of around $10–12 million before they signed Tony Romo to a massive deal.
Manning has been often sought after for a booth gig ever since his retirement and even though Romo has been lights out with his analysis for CBS, the company wanted to see if they could entice Manning enough to replace Romo.
According to Andrew Marchand of the New York Post, CBS was ready to offer Manning the big contract before signing Romo.
In the midst of the Romo talks, CBS offered Manning a contract that is believed to be in the range of $10 million to $12 million a year for five or six seasons, according to sources.
Manning’s intelligence and charisma makes him an ideal color analyst. He’s regarded as one of the most cerebral quarterbacks to ever play the game of football, and his personality would fit well in the booth.
However, Manning hasn’t indicated at all that he wants to step in the booth to call games. That won’t keep broadcasters like CBS and ESPN from reaching out with incredible offers as they have over the last few years.
Maybe it will happen one day, but it seems right now that Manning is still content with his retirement plans.