There must be a Monday Night Phobia. Drew Brees has decided to start his broadcasting career with NBC rather than ESPN, according to a New York Post report.
Brees will be groomed to replace Cris Collinsworth.
In a contract that will begin after Brees retires from the Saints, the 41-year-old will be groomed as the potential replacement for Cris Collinsworth on “Sunday Night Football,” according to sources.
“Like all NFL fans, we look forward to watching Drew continue his Hall of Fame career this fall, and we are confident his post-playing career will be just as successful,” NBC Sports spokesman Greg Hughes told The Post.
Brees is reported to be starting his NBC career on Notre Dame games and as a Sunday Night Football analyst. That would mean Doug Flutie would seem to be on the way out of the college football booth in 2021, which will be Brees’ first year out of the NFl.
The move by NBC has been made in part to solidify its announcing group as all the networks head into negotiations with the NFL for the next TV rights agreement. NBC could possibly add a second NFL package, which would allow Brees and Collinsworth to both be No. 1s. If not, Brees will be in the on-deck circle.
ESPN continues to try and find a path to success for Monday Night Football’s announcer booth. Marchand reports: As for ESPN, its search to replace Joe Tessitore and Booger McFarland on “Monday Night Football” continues. Internally, Steve Levy is considered a strong candidate for the play-by-play position, though ESPN does have others to choose from in Adam Amin, Dave Pasch and Bob Wischusen.
