Less than a week after CBS locked up Tony Romo in a record-setting deal, ESPN is throwing Hail Marys in an effort to beef up its Monday Night Football team.
ESPN is planning to attempt a trade for NBC NFL play-by-play voice Al Michaels, the New York Post reported Thursday, though talks have yet to begin and there are no indications that NBC would be receptive. Michaels would return to Monday Night Football, where he was the play-by-play voice from 1986 through 2005.
When MNF moved from ABC to ESPN in 2006, Michaels was originally set to continue with the series, reaching an eight-year deal with ESPN in 2005. After his MNF partner John Madden moved to NBC’s new Sunday night package, Michaels asked for and received a trade to NBC, with ESPN parent company Disney receiving rights to the cartoon character Oswald the Lucky Rabbit in return.
Per the Post, ESPN would pair Michaels with its white whale, retired QB Peyton Manning. Front Office Sports reported Thursday that ESPN is planning to offer Manning a contract in the neighborhood of $18-20 million, which would exceed the record-setting $17 million Tony Romo will make from CBS in his new deal.
ESPN has pursued Manning in back-to-back offseasons since longtime MNF analyst Jon Gruden returned to coaching in 2017, and been rebuffed both times. Last season, it reportedly sought to lure Manning with $10 million per year.
There are no indications that Manning is interested in moving into the broadcast booth. According to a separate Post report this week, he was recently offered a six-year, $10-12 million/year deal from CBS, which was seeking a backup plan if negotiations with Romo went south. He was so reluctant to accept that CBS bailed.
On the play-by-play side, ESPN has had two voices in the four years since Mike Tirico left MNF for NBC in 2016. Tirico is widely believed to be Michaels heir on Sunday Night Football, with the Post reporting that he is expected to take over the lead play-by-play role after NBC’s next Super Bowl telecast in 2022.
[News from NYP 3.2, 3.5, Front Office Sports 3.5 via The Big Lead 3.5]
