The idea of ESPN trading for NBC’s lead football announcer Al Michaels seemed farfetched from the start, which is why it was categorized as a “dream” scenario. After initially reporting ESPN’s interest in landing Michaels, Andrew Marchand of The New York Post now says it won’t happen.
“We look forward to Al completing his contract and calling Sunday Night Football games on NBC,” Greg Hughes, an NBC Sports spokesman, told Marchand.
As ESPN looks to revamp their Monday Night Football booth, acquiring Al Michaels was viewed as a way to lure Peyton Manning to the broadcast. Since CBS plucked Tony Romo off the football field and moved him into its top broadcast booth, ESPN has continued its attempts at acquiring Manning. But NBC declining to trade Al Michaels will subsequently end ESPN’s dream scenario.
Yes, NBC has former ESPN MNF announcer Mike Tirico waiting to step in as their play-by-play voice for NFL broadcasts. But NBC has little reason to move on from Michaels right now, who remains under contract for two years, including Super Bowl LVI during his final season.
In addition to landing on trade compensation, Michaels would also have to agree to a deal with ESPN. That final Super Bowl with NBC is likely a game Michaels won’t want to give up, as it could be his last. While ESPN/ABC has reportedly shown interest in re-entering the network rotation for Super Bowl coverage, there’s no guarantee it happens before the 75-year old Michaels retires.
ESPN could still land Manning, although they won’t have Michaels as his broadcast partner, they still have a lot of money to offer. Last week, Michael McCarthy of Front Office Sports reported ESPN was preparing to offer Manning between $18 and $20 million per year. $20 million per year to call Monday Night Football games has to at least be intriguing, even for a two-time Super Bowl champ that earned $250 million as a player.
ESPN’s current Monday Night Football crew featuring Joe Tessitore and Booger McFarland is considered to be the least appealing lead broadcast team in the NFL. Marchand also reports ESPN has considered a replacement booth featuring play-by-play voice Steve Levy alongside analysts Louis Riddick and Brian Griese.