In an attempt to reshape its booth for “Monday Night Football,” ESPN reportedly plans to swing big.
The New York Post reported Thursday that ESPN is eyeing NBC’s Al Michaels to pair with quarterback Peyton Manning as “a dream booth.” For that to happen, ESPN is trying to “trade” for Michaels, the paper reported.
Manning, the two-time Super Bowl winning champ who retired after the 2015 season, has resisted offers from ESPN and other networks to do color commentary in the past.
But ESPN is reportedly trying to fix their “Monday Night Football” booth after play-by-play man Joe Tessitore and color commentator Booger McFarland drew negative reviews last season. The network pursued Tony Romo before the quarterback re-signed with CBS on a $17 million per year contract.
Michaels, 75, spent a large portion of his career working for ABC before moving to NBC in 2006. Disney owns both ABC and ESPN.
With NBC, Michaels currently serves as the play-by-play man for “Sunday Night Football.”
• Matthew Paras can be reached at mparas@washingtontimes.com.
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