ESPN’s preferred replacement for Troy Aikman is already signed to the network – but is an unlikely answer to his vacancy.
During a Q&A Tuesday, Andrew Marchand of The Athletic said he thinks Peyton Manning is “ESPN’s No. 1 choice” to team up with NFL play-by-play voice Joe Buck when Aikman’s contract expires after the Super Bowl in February.
However, the situation is complicated.
Manning has previously turned down offers to work in a broadcast booth. Still, it’s likely that ESPN president Jimmy Pitaro will contact Manning to gauge his interest in the idea, according to Marchand.
He and his Omaha production company are under a long-term contract with ESPN for his and his brother Eli Manning’s “Manning-Cast” which airs during most “Monday Night Football” broadcasts.
The big sibling quarterbacks have an ideal situation with the world leader, where they can work from home and cover games without the grueling travel that analysts endure.
Mannings is expected to analyze 12 games this season, as well as the 2027 Super Bowl, The Athletic previously reported.
Buck recently moved to Denver and lives five minutes from Peyton, according to The Athletic.
Greg Olsen, who is a color commentator on Fox’s Booth No. 2, is considered the front-runner for the job, according to Marchand.
Aikman and Buck were at odds on the booth after Buck signed a six-year contract extension with ESPN in September, worth more than $100 million, to continue “Monday Night Football.”
During a Sept. 20 interview on the “Sports Media with Richard Deitsch” podcast, Aikman explained that he thought he would have a new contract in place — and that he hadn’t heard from ESPN at that time.
Aikman and Buck have been broadcast partners for 25 years between their time at Fox and ESPN.
Buck and Aikman — who called more than 300 games together for Fox — left the network for ESPN to enter the “Monday Night Football” booth in March 2022.
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