Though ESPN was hoping this would be the year they could reel in former Indianapolis Colts quarterback Peyton Manning to their Monday Night Football broadcast booth, the future first-ballot Hall of Famer has reportedly turned down their latest offer.
The details of the offer haven’t been made totally clear, but most reports have ESPN offering Manning over $10 million per season in their offer. Though that is an enticing offer, it seems Manning is still content with his offseason schedule.
The dealbreaker for Manning was reportedly the fall schedule and the commitment that comes with it during the NFL season, per Andrew Marchand of The New York Post.
Sources say the overriding factor was whether Manning finally wanted to enter the broadcast booth and commit to the weekly schedule in the fall. The answer remains no.
ESPN has been after Manning for their Monday Night Football broadcasting since he retired from the game following the 2015 season. His knowledge of the game and personality in the booth would make for a wonderful color analyst.
However, Manning still doesn’t seem privy to giving up his retirement life for essentially an everyday job working in the booth.
Manning is enjoying retirement life and is eligible for the Hall of Fame Class of 2021, which he is expected to get in on the first try.