It appears change is inevitable for the Monday Night Football booth. ESPN has not informed Joe Tessitore and Booger McFarland that they are being replaced, but according to Andrew Marchand of The New York Post, the network is making plans for the future and the names of the current broadcast team haven’t come up.
As previously reported, ESPN has its eye on the long term and is courting Saints quarterback Drew Brees to join the MNF team when his playing days are over. NBC and FOX are both also said to be interested in Brees, which might explain why all three of the networks are making their pitches even after Brees signed a new two-year deal with the New Orleans Saints.
For the short-term though, it appears ESPN is leaning towards SportsCenter host and college football play-by-play man Steve Levy as the favorite to lead the Monday Night booth. He would reportedly be paired with Louis Riddick and Dan Orlovsky.
The trio has not been promised the job. In fact, Marchand reports that the network’s top college football play-by-play team of Chris Fowler and Kirk Herbstreit is also under consideration.
No matter who ESPN ends up tapping for Monday Night Football in 2020 (if there is a season), it could create a very awkward situation. Imagine agreeing to take over the booth after Drew Brees has been signed. Does the talent volunteering to keep the seat warm go in knowing they are on borrowed time? If it is Orlovsky and Riddick, will they be competing to be the third man in a booth that is already guaranteed to include Brees and Levy in the future?
The answers to those questions are unknown. Again, it is worth repeating that ESPN is merely courting Brees at this point. Nothing has been promised or agreed to, and the duo of Joe Tessitore and Booger McFarland haven’t even been told that a change is coming.
Levy is very good he has done the second MNF game opening week the last two years and did the XFL this year. Orlovsky worked CFB this year and did the XFL he has shown to be very good. I would also consider Pat Macafee he could do MNF instead of college Football on Thursday night. I think Levy, Orlovsky and Macafee would be great.