Andrew Marchand was asked about ESPN’s future plans for Monday Night Football on Wednesday in a mail bag column he wrote for The New York Post. In the wake of missing out on Tony Romo, Peyton Manning, Al Michaels, and Drew Brees, Twitter user @MillManner asked what other options the network had for making a big splash.
Marchand wrote that Kurt Warner, who has provided analysis for Monday Night Football on Westwood One’s radio broadcast for the last two seasons is an option that could grab some headlines. He is also quick to note that in 2018 ESPN passed on the Super Bowl winner and Hall of Famer to hire Jason Witten, “so there has been hesitancy.” Marchand didn’t indicate if the hesitancy was on the part of Warner or the network.
Nate Burleson is another candidate “they also like” according to Marchand. He notes that the eleven-year veteran receiver and returner is still under contract with CBS.
Finally, Marchand ended his answer by shedding some light on ESPN’s thinking in these negotiations. Marchand writes that while the network was willing to break the bank for Romo, it decided to be more conservative in its courtship of Drew Brees.
“They could have had him for $10-plus million per season after he retires,” he wrote. Marchand previously reported that Drew Brees called ESPN decision makers to give them one last chance to secure his services before the New Orleans Saints quarterback pledged his future to NBC, but ESPN declined.
