As has been reported for months, retired former Patriots coach Bill Belichick is joining ranks with both Omaha Productions and “The Pat McAfee Show” in deals that will make him a regular on ESPN during the football season.
ESPN announced during its media day Wednesday that Belichick will serve as a featured guest on all 11 editions of the Omaha-produced Monday Night Football “Manningcast” and co-host a new companion studio show with Peyton Manning. In addition, Belichick has reached a separate agreement to appear as a weekly guest on “The Pat McAfee Show” each Monday.
Belichick’s “Manningcast” appearances will take place during the first half of each game, pushing the usual parade of sports and pop culture guests to the second half. The new studio show will be titled “The Breakdown” and air on the Friday before each Manningcast, with Belichick and Manning breaking down the upcoming Monday Night Football matchup. A production of Omaha and NFL Films, “The Breakdown” will air Fridays on ESPN+ with encore presentations on ESPN2.
Belichick has also reached deals this offseason to join the cast of “Inside the NFL” on CW and the fantasy sports app Underdog Fantasy.
It should be noted that none of Belichick’s deals are directly with a traditional media company. From the beginning of the offseason, Belichick reportedly made it clear to the networks that he was not interested in a traditional studio role.
