After 16 years in the NFL and two Super Bowl victories, Giants quarterback Eli Manning has announced that he is retiring from football at age 39. That might speed up the process for his older brother, Peyton, to become a television commentator.
Peyton, who also won two Super Bowls as a quarterback, retired from the NFL following the 2015 season. He has been courted by ESPN and Fox since then but has turned down their offers, likely in part because he did not want to call games featuring his younger brother.
Two years ago, ESPN and Fox were both willing to pay Manning up to $10 million per season to call primetime NFL games. Now that Eli is no longer an active player, Peyton might be more inclined to join a broadcast booth.
ESPN seems to have shifted its attention toward CBS commentator Tony Romo. The network is willing to pay Romo $10-14 million per year to call “Monday Night Football” games. If Romo gets a contract like that — either from CBS, ESPN or someone else — it would give Manning leverage to negotiate a similar deal if he decides to become a commentator himself.
Manning and ESPN Plus released a 30-part series in 2019 called “Peyton’s Places.” The show followed Manning as he visited key places in NFL history and interviewed some of the game’s greatest players. The most recent episode featured Patriots quarterback Tom Brady.
Manning, 43, will be eligible for the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2021.
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