How Much CBS Was Willing to Pay Peyton Manning
Last Friday, it was revealed that Tony Romo had agreed to return to CBS broadcast booth next to Jim Nantz for the next decade. Before that, there was uncertainty whether Romo would return to the company due to keen interest from ESPN for their Monday Night Football coverage. That put forth the possibility of him leaving his position. During that time, it was revealed that CBS had looked at the other alternatives that included attempting to bring aboard Peyton Manning as his replacement on a lucrative deal.
Tony Romo returns to CBS
Following the end of the 2019 season, one of the underlying storylines off the field was Romo’s contract situation with CBS. The former Dallas Cowboys star quarterback completed his deal with the Cowboys that saw him head into the open market.
That led to rumblings around Romo drawing interest from ESPN for their Monday Night Football broadcast team. All of that was put to bed last Saturday as it was reported that the 39-year-old agreed to a multi-year deal with CBS where will make roughly $17 million annually over 10 years.
The new contract now makes him the highest-paid NFL analyst in TV history. More importantly, it keeps him in the booth alongside legendary broadcaster Jim Nance for the next several years. The duo has become arguably the most in-demand broadcast team in the league, making it crucial for CBS to keep Romo on board.
What CBS offered Peyton Manning
Although CBS had their eyes on bringing back Romo, there was no certainty that he would remain with the company.
It saw them exercise their options that include pursuing Manning to be a potential replacement in the broadcast booth. According to Andrew Marchand of the New York Post, CBS had offered Manning a lucrative deal in the range of $10 to $12 million annually over five or six years.
In the midst of the Romo talks, CBS offered Manning a contract that is believed to be in the range of $10 million to $12 million a year for five or six seasons, according to sources.
It was an offer that Manning didn’t give an immediate response, which led to CBS pushing even harder to retain Romo. That saw them put forth a concerted effort to present a record-breaking deal that trumped the potential 10-year, $140 million contract that ESPN was planning to put on the table.
Romo’s could be worth up to $18 million a year, which alone will surpass the three-year, $10 million deal that he initially signed with CBS back in 2016. If he were to go through the length of this new deal, it would put him his first two TV contracts would be well beyond the $127 million he earned during his entire 14-year NFL career.
Will Peyton Manning ever get into the broadcast booth
With CBS moving forward on a record-breaking deal with Romo, it puts Manning’s future at the centerfold of attention this offseason as it’s clear that the most prominent companies are making a push to get him the broadcast booth.
That has seen ESPN now make an all-out push to land Manning to their Monday Night Football broadcast team. The future Hall of Famer had turned down the position last year after Jason Witten left the job to make a return to the Cowboys.
It’s being reported that ESPN will make Manning a substantial offer that will at least warrant some consideration. At this point, it’s deemed unlikely he decides to join the broadcast booth, but it’s a chance that they are willing to take to see if he can be convinced otherwise.
There should be more clarity on that front soon that will give a clear picture of where Manning stands on that career path at this point.
