ESPN and Fox Sports seem to think Peyton Manning can boost ratings from the broadcast booth on their respective NFL packages next season.
The two networks are willing to fork over $10 million per year for Manning’s services, according to the Sporting News.
After Tony Romo’s amazing rookie season calling games, they believe Peyton can achieve even greater success straight out of the gate. This would put Peyton as the highest paid announcer in sports. ESPN previously paid Jon Gruden $6.5 million per year to call “Monday Night Football.”
ESPN pays the NFL $1.1 billion per year to broadcast MNF. It’s understandable if the World Wide Leader wants to replace Gruden with a massive star. Manning is the biggest name out there, and as Romo proved last season, rookie announcers can thrive when placed in big spots.
Manning, one of the country’s most famous pitchmen, certainly has a lot of TV experience. He looked right at home during a guest stint on Sunday Night Football last season.
If Peyton Manning can pull off hosting Saturday Night Live, he can surely kick butt talking about football for a few hours. Take a look at some of the Sheriff’s funnier moments from SNL. I for one am totally down to see Peyton in the TV booth.
