Tennessee Vols legend and Hall of Famer Peyton Manning could have a big decision to make in the not-so-distant future.
There's been speculation over the last couple of weeks that ESPN could make Tennessee Vols legend and Hall of Famer Peyton Manning its top target to replace Troy Aikman on Monday Night Football.
Monday Night Football play-by-play man Joe Buck recently signed a contract extension with ESPN. Aikman, however, did not receive an extension, and there's a growing feeling that this will be his last season with the network.
Pro Football Talk's Mike Florio suggested last week that ESPN could target Peyton, who currently hosts the ManningCast on ESPN (alongside his younger brother, Eli), to replace Aikman.
The Athletic's Andrew Marchand seemingly confirmed this week while doing a Q&A that ESPN chairman Jimmy Pitaro will make a call to Peyton to pitch him on the idea of joining the Monday Night Football booth.
Marchand, though, doesn't think Peyton will ultimately want the job.
If Peyton doesn't get the job, then former NFL tight end Greg Olsen, who is currently an analyst for Fox, is considered the favorite to land the gig.
"I think Peyton is the No. 1 choice to replace Aikman, but I don't think he is the favorite," wrote Marchand
. "What does that mean? Jimmy Pitaro, ESPN's chairman, will likely place a call to Peyton and pitch the idea of going into the booth. ESPN already has a huge contract with Manning and his Omaha Productions that includes, among other things, doing the ManningCast with his brother, Eli, for about 11 games.
"In an ideal world, I [think] ESPN would love to team Peyton with Joe Buck. That feels like Monday Night Football. Buck recently made his main residence in Denver and lives five minutes from Peyton, I was told. That said, Peyton has always said no to the booth. His WFH (work from home) arrangement with Eli for the games they want to work is pretty sweet. So it is more likely Peyton says no, though maybe they could set up a hybrid work environment for Eli and him, splitting the games and doing some together. It is probably more unlikely than likely so … that would leave Olsen as the favorite. He wants the job. He is a really good analyst. So he is sort of the favorite."
I wouldn't be surprised to see Peyton eventually join a booth, but I'm not sure now is the right time.
Peyton's kids (twins Marshall and Moseley) are in high school. Marshall is a freshman at Baylor School in Chattanooga and, presumably, has a lot of football ahead of him. I'm sure being at his kids' events is Peyton's top priority right now.
But you never know what could happen. The Monday Night Football job could be attractive since it's not a weekend job (though there are production meetings, etc in the days before the games…maybe Peyton could do those remotely and fly in on game day).
It's going to be interesting to see how it all shakes out for ESPN. Peyton is great on television, so if he does decide to take the job (if it's officially offered), I think it would be a win for all football fans.
This article was originally published on A to Z Sports. Read the full story here: New report confirms suspicion about a major decision Peyton Manning will soon have to make, and it would be a major change for the Vols legend
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