Add us to the list of people that didn’t realize you could trade NFL play-by-play announcers. ESPN reportedly offered to trade for a veteran of NBC football broadcasts, Al Michaels. The plan was initially to pair Michaels up with retired quarterback Peyton Manning.
NEWS: ESPN plans to attempt to trade for NBC's Al Michaels to pair with Peyton Manning for Monday Night Football, The Post has learned.https://t.co/CKL9BXOTXN
— Andrew Marchand (@AndrewMarchand) March 5, 2020
The deal was turned down by NBC, who issued the following statement on Al Michael, who as two years left on his current contract:
We look forward to Al completing his contract and calling Sunday Night Football games on NBC.
While ESPN had hoped to pair Michaels with Manning, there has been no indication yet whether this changes their plans. Manning has also not given any indications that he would like to transition his career into broadcasting.
The plan comes a few years after ESPN paired up JoeTessitore and analysts Jason Witten and Booger McFarland. That changed when Jason Witten decided to come out of retirement and play for the Dallas Cowboys again. Tessitore and McFarland proceeded as a broadcast duo last season, much to the dismay of fans.
Manning currently has a relationship with ESPN, in the sense that his show Peyton’s Places airs on ESPN+. While that does not necessarily mean Manning is a shoo-in, but it would certainly help ESPN in persuading him to take on a new career path.
