Peyton Manning will not join an NFL broadcast booth in 2018
Former Tennessee Vols quarterback Peyton Manning has reportedly turned down offers from two networks to be an NFL broadcaster.
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It looks like Peyton Manning won’t be joining an NFL booth after all this year. The Volunteers legend turned down multiple offers in a bidding war for him, the most recent one coming on Tuesday evening.
Andrew Marchand of the New York Post reports that Manning turned down an offer from Fox to join the broadcast booth Tuesday. That report follows one here from nearly three weeks ago that he turned down an offer from ESPN.
As a result, months of talking about Manning being an NFL commentator are now over. Just like coaching, it just doesn’t look like something he’s trying to pursue.
So what is Peyton Manning going for? Vols fans once labored under the delusion that he’d take an assistant job with their program or even the head coaching job. But that was always a ridiculous idea from the start.
The idea of him going into politics is also clearly out the window. Sure, he may speak at political retreats and quietly support candidates. But somebody of his stature could only hurt his legacy by doing such a thing, and he has the power to be way more effective outside of that sphere.
Broadcasting now is clearly out the window. And that people used Tony Romo’s success in the booth to bring up Peyton Manning was always an insult to Manning’s legacy, who accomplished so much more on the field.
I always said a unique move for Manning would be going into comedy television. He was always funny in commercials, he was hilarious on ‘Saturday Night Live,’ and he showed on ‘Modern Family’ that he could carry a sitcom.
That would be something different to carve out his own legacy among ex-players. I still say that it’s his best move.
A general manager role is another option. That would be going the John Elway route, who brought Manning to Denver and helped him capture another Super Bowl.
However, the most likely plan is for Manning to go the Michael Jordan route. He’s probably positioning himself to eventually buy an NFL team.
That would explain his connections with the Haslams. Also, should Eli Manning retire in the next few years, they could go in on it together with Archie Manning and maybe Cooper Manning. Essentially, they could carve out a Manning legacy in the NFL and literally make the name royal.
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Whether or not he goes the general manager, acting or ownership route remains to be seen. But what’s clear is that broadcasting now looks to be out the door. And coaching and politics were likely never on the table.