It has been more than a decade since Peyton Manning wrapped up his stint with the Indianapolis Colts in 2012. Ever since then, fans must be living in a bubble, dreaming of Peyton holding a role in the Indianapolis front office. While Dan Patrick fueled the probabilities of Manning walking through that door again, chances are slim. Per the reports, Manning might be Troy Aikman’s competitor for the ESPN job.
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“I didn’t say (that Manning is) taking the job,” Patrick said. “I said that my source said if they haven’t, they will reach out to Peyton about joining the front office and eventually doing more with the Colts.
“Family and business interests are the immediate priorities for Peyton. My source goes on to say, ‘Peyton is 50. He’s got both options. He has time.’ They don’t intend to share this publicly.’ My source goes on to say, ‘As an aside, I’m sensing wondering if there may be some interest discussions in the mix for Peyton to do Troy Aikman’s job on Monday Night Football.’ Now, once again, I’m not reporting that he’s taking anything. I’m telling you that there were discussions inside the organization and that’s it.”
The reunion talks fired up shortly after the Indianapolis Colts fired general manager Chris Ballard.
“I just got this information,” said Patrick during his show on Monday, October 19. “The Colts’ first call will be or has been to Peyton Manning. The call will not only get names and suggestions, but the call will explore whether or not Peyton would be interested in being a general manager for the Colts as the entry point.”
But even before Patrick, Adam Schefter of ESPN reported that Manning has no plans to pursue an NFL front-office role for now. The fact that the reunion talks have closed for now means MNF can be Manning’s target next.
After all, things have now turned bitter between Troy Aikman and ESPN. He and his longtime Monday Night Football broadcast partner, Joe Buck, reportedly clashed in the booth ahead of the Bills-Rams Week 5 matchup amid contract uncertainty. Buck had recently finalized a six-year ESPN deal worth around $108 million, but Aikman had no formal offer. He further hinted at a potential exit.
“I don’t know that it’s hard to figure out kind of what’s happened, but I’ll broadcast through this season, and I’ll be a free agent at the end of the year and kind of see what happens,” Aikman said. “But I’m looking forward to whatever the rest of this year does hold, and with the Super Bowl and all that, and where my next landing spot might be.”
It’s not the first time that Manning’s name has been tied to a broadcasting role. Back in 2018, he picked up interest from FOX Sports and even had preliminary discussions about taking the Thursday Night Football analyst role with NBC’s Mike Tirico.
Since Manning retired the 2015 season, ESPN has made multiple attempts to bring him aboard Monday Night Football. However, the two-time Super Bowl winner was reportedly unwilling to take on the workload of an entire season. But ESPN was able to find a middle ground.
“Offering multiple Monday Night Football viewing options for the next three seasons continues our innovation efforts and provides additional value for our fans,” said ESPN chairman Jimmy Pitaro in a statement. “Peyton and Eli will bring a different approach, delving into conversation about broader, big-picture topics while also honing in on the game, much like fans do when watching with their family and friends.”
In 2021, rather than joining ESPN’s primary MNF broadcast, Manning teamed up with his brother Eli to host an alternate MegaCast of the game on ESPN2.
Fast forward to 2026, and according to reports by Patrick’s sources, the timing might be sweet for Manning to join MNF.
Other than ESPN’s uncertainty about Aikman’s future, Indianapolis is also unlikely to consider bringing him aboard. According to Patrick, the timing is not right for Manning to step into Ballard’s shoes.
ESPN reports that Manning has never considered the general manager position a career goal. After all, he has too many things on his plate now. Manning founded the media company named Omaha Productions, of which he is the co-founder and visionary leader, and he considers it his own child.
The former quarterback is the co-host of the “ManningCast,” the crown jewel of Omaha Productions. Advertising commitments and two children in high school also keep him busy. So, taking on a job that demands his daily attention does not appear to fit his current priorities. That won’t be a problem with the MNF role.