Before Tony Romo signed his massive contract to remain with CBS, ESPN was prepared to make a run at him for Monday Night Football. But with Romo longer available, ESPN is going to try and complete Plan B. Ahead of the upcoming season, ESPN is attempting to pair Peyton Manning with Al Michaels on Monday Night Football.
The initial report of Michaels possibly being traded to ESPN from NBC came from Andrew Marchand of the New York Post. Marchand, who broke the news of Romo's megadeal with CBS, also highlighted that ESPN wanted Michaels to be joined by Manning in the booth.
Seeing that Michaels is still under contract at NBC, that could create some obstacles for ESPN. However, with Mike Tirico waiting in the wings to replace Michaels on NBC, they could be willing to let Michaels transfer to ESPN.
Currently, Michaels' contract at NBC isn't set to expire until after the Super Bowl in Los Angeles in 2022. But if ESPN believes they can convince Manning to join Michaels, that could lead them to make an irrefutable offer to NBC.
This past season, Monday Night Football featured Joe Tessitore and Booger McFarland in the booth together. For the most part, fans of the NFL had negative reviews on the duo. Thus, prompting ESPN to try and create a better product on Monday nights.
When Romo was able to land $18 million a year with CBS, that created some interest from former players to begin a career in commentating. While some players would love to take the job, a trade for Michaels relies upon whether or not Manning is willing to become an analyst.
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