Report: ESPN reaches out to Peyton again to gauge MNF interest

With Tony Romo off the market, ESPN has once more set its sights on capturing another big-name former quarterback.

ESPN has reached out to Peyton Manning's representatives to see if he's interested in becoming an analyst for Monday Night Football following its failed pursuit last year, John Ourand of Sports Business Journal reports.

Manning declined ESPN's offer last March despite president Jimmy Pitaro and executive vice president of content Connor Schell flying to Denver in an attempt to convince him to replace Jason Witten.

CBS inked Romo to a contract worth $180 million over 10 years last week. However, the network also pursued Manning when a deal with the former Dallas Cowboys quarterback was in doubt, offering Manning a contract worth $10 million to $12 million per year, reports Andrew Marchand of the New York Post.

With Manning apparently in no rush to give an answer as he continues to forge his post-playing career path, CBS reportedly locked down Romo in order to prevent ESPN from starting a bidding war when his contract expired.

The former Indianapolis Colts and Denver Broncos signal-caller previously cited his unease about covering his younger brother, Eli, when discussing a move into the booth. But Eli retired in January, potentially opening the door for Peyton to reconsider his stance.

The five-time MVP currently has two shows - "Peyton's Places" and "Detail" - on the ESPN+ platform.

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