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It feels like 1998 all over again for Peyton Manning and his NFL suitors.
Much like the year in question two decades ago, the NFL is clamoring for the service of the University of Tennessee product. Instead of chucking pigskins, he'll be hurling football vocabulary at the viewers this time around.
According to Andrew Marchand of the New York Post, both ESPN and FOX Sports is hard after Manning to hold down each's prime time NFL analyst position in 2018 and beyond.
Despite the overwhelming belief that Manning is the perfect color man and perhaps the next generation John Madden, he's been hesitant to make that official plunge. Instead, he's stated that his ultimate goal is to take the John Elway-type route to the front office (or even ownership much like Michael Jordan and Derek Jeter).
The recruiting marches on purely due to the fact he's yet to rule out a booth job.
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ESPN and Manning feel like a perfect match at the moment thanks to Jon Gruden's latest headlines. After experiencing a terrific run as the color analyst for ESPN's Monday Night Football, the position remains vacant after he accepted a beefy deal to return to coach the Oakland Raiders.
Prior to last season, FOX reached out to Manning with the idea of either an in-studio or booth job on the table. Manning declined. FOX is still in the hunt (especially for the prime time slots with Thursday Night Football), but they now have incredible competition with ESPN desperately needing to replace Gruden.
Naturally, CBS, while would, of course, take Manning on, could never offer the top gig with the commitment to fresh-faced Tony Romo.
Over the course of 17 NFL seasons, Peyton Manning threw for 71,940 yards and 531 touchdowns to just 251 interceptions—mind-boggling numbers that now represent the very target for all quarterbacks during regular season NFL play.
