As it turns out, it doesn't seem like there was any amount of money that would have convinced Peyton Manning to head to the broadcast booth this season.
Just weeks after turning down ESPN, the Hall of Fame quarterback declined Fox's overtures this week to join its NFL team, the New York Post reports. Both networks were reportedly willing to pay Manning in the neighborhood of $10 million per year.
According to the Post's Andrew Marchand, Fox wanted Manning to be the analyst for its 11-game Thursday night package. Fox paid $3.3 billion to carry "Thursday Night Football" for five years. With that kind of investment, it's reasonable to assume the network wants to give TNF a big-time feel. Though announcers don't draw viewers to games, Manning's presence would've likely propped up the league's lowest-rated primetime bundle.
With Manning out of the mix, Fox could consider other recently retired players for the role. The network has brought in Joe Thomas, Carson Palmer and current Cowboys tight end Jason Witten for auditions this offseason. Tony Romo's success in the booth has seemingly ignited a trend.
Since Joe Buck is tied up with baseball in the fall, it's unclear who Fox is currently targeting to do play-by-play for TNF.
ESPN is in the midst of overhauling its "Monday Night Football" booth, losing Jon Gruden to the Raiders and reassigning Sean McDonough to college football. The WorldWide Leader has already announced veteran play-by-play man Joe Tessitore will take over for McDonough. Panthers tight end Greg Olsen, who called a game last season for Fox, is considered a possibility to join the booth. Analyst Louis Riddick has publicly expressed interest in the job.
