Even though he hasn’t thrown a pass in the NFL since 2016, Peyton Manning is shaping up to be one of the top free agents of the offseason.
Fox Sports is attempting to make the retired quarterback part of its broadcast team for “Thursday Night Football,” while ESPN is trying to land him for the network’s “Monday Night Football” telecasts, according to The New York Post.
It’s unclear what ESPN is offering Manning to take the “MNF” gig, but The Post reports Fox is willing to give him the chance to call a playoff game as well as a cushy studio role throughout the postseason.
To add even more luster to its first year of “TNF” broadcasts, Fox Sports would also like to make Hall of Famer Troy Aikman a part of its primetime pregame show on Thursdays. Adding Aikman to “TNF” would not affect his role calling each Sunday’s lead game on Fox alongside Joe Buck.
As part of a five-year, $3.3 billion deal the network inked with the NFL in January, Fox will broadcast 11 Thursday games per season. Considering the amount of that investment, it’s a safe bet Manning will be extremely well compensated if he does sign with Fox.
That should take some of the sting out of the potential financial fallout of the NFL and Manning’s favorite pizza company, Papa John’s, parting ways last month.
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