Since he retired from the NFL following the 2015 season, former Indianapolis Colts quarterback Peyton Manning has been a wanted man in the booths of many networks. It seems the latest may be Amazon.
While an official pursuit isn’t yet underway—the network is reportedly still weighing its options—Manning appears to be one of the top candidates to be the lead analyst for Amazon Prime Video, per Andrew Marchand of the New York Post.
“Sources said Amazon has grappled with the idea of pursuing Manning as its main analyst. With Amazon potentially teaming with NBC and hiring Al Michaels as its lead play-by-player, the company could go with a star power combo of Michaels and Manning. Amazon also could offer Manning “Tony Romo money.” CBS signed Romo to a 10-year, $180 million contract last year.”
For years, ESPN has been trying to sign Manning into the booth. His charisma and sheer intelligence of the game would be a wonderful addition to whichever network would eventually sign him.
However, he has seemed content doing commercials and other work with ESPN+ like “Peyton’s Places” and “Details,” both of which showcase his charisma with other athletes and his intelligence of the game.
It will be interesting to see if Amazon will be the ones to land Manning for the Thursday Night Football games when they have exclusive rights in 2022 so this will be something to keep an eye on.
