Four years after retiring from the NFL, Peyton Manning founded Omaha Productions, a media conglomerate that produces original content and partners with several brands in the sports media space. In recent years, the outlet has been involved in series with Netflix, NFL Films and 2PM Productions, such as Quarterback and Receiver, both of which Manning played a role within the recruiting process. The company also reached a nine-year agreement with ESPN this past April to continue growing the content partnership and maintaining Monday Night Football with Peyton and Eli, the successful alternate presentation of the network’s weekly NFL showcase game. Both Peyton and Eli host the show remotely where they provide unique insights into the game, welcome special guests and react to moments in real time.
Manning was not thinking about starting a media company when he was playing, instead staying focused on the task at hand to win football games. The two-time Super Bowl Champion, five-time Associated Press NFL MVP and member of the Pro Football Hall of Fame is widely regarded as one of the most successful quarterbacks of all time. Yet he always had a respect for the media in helping to grow the game and would participate in interviews whether he won or lost on the field.
“To play quarterback in the NFL, you better have thick skin,” Manning said during a recent interview conducted by Stephen A. Smith at Fanatics Fest NYC. “I never felt a media member or even the fans had criticisms of me that I probably didn’t already have of myself. I was always my own biggest critic, so I think it’s important to grow the game.”
Manning will return to the air as the New York Jets face the San Francisco 49ers on Monday, Sept. 9 for the season premiere of Monday Night Football. The Manning brothers will be joined by former New England Patriots head coach and general manager Bill Belichick, who is joining the program as a permanent guest for the first half. Eli Manning and the New York Giants defeated Belichick and the Patriots to win two Super Bowl championships in 2007 and 2011. Peyton Manning explained that Belichick will be a perfect fit because of his disdain for Eli Manning, and that he will be able to team up with him to make fun of him the whole time.
“I don’t think people necessarily have gotten to hear Bill Belichick speak about defense, about head coaching decisions and what not, and Eli and I have had a couple rehearsals with him,” Manning said. “He’s got so much knowledge, and he’s always shared that with his team, but he never was sharing that with the general public, and I think he’s going to do that this year, and Eli and I have kind of found it very insightful. I think the fans will as well, so he’s going to be on there.”
Adam Sandler, an award-winning actor and comedian, is a celebrity who Manning is trying to secure for the Week 1 game. Manning mentioned that there are many celebrities who root for the Jets that he did not know about because they had not had much to cheer about in recent years. The Jets currently hold a 13-year playoff drought, the longest in the National Football League, and the organization has not won a Super Bowl championship since 1969.
“I still love when we get the current players to come on there as a guest,” Manning added. “That’s a hard one to get to commit though because they have to win on that Sunday before. It’s a bad look to come on our show [after a loss].
Smith reflected on when Manning hosted Saturday Night Live in March 2007 and how it allowed him to demonstrate his personality and humor. Hosting the alternate broadcast throughout the season, colloquially known as the ManningCast, has been an adjustment for Peyton and Eli, but they try to have fun watching the game. At the same time, they bring their view on the action as football players and can detect the flow of the game. Ahead of a contest, they prepare for the teams and share notes to enhance their preparation and become immersed in the broadcast upon its start.
“When people are throwing three interceptions, I’m like, ‘I threw six one night against the Chargers. I would have thrown more – the clock ran out,’ so I still try to defend quarterbacks and what not,” Manning said, “but certainly if a guy doesn’t call timeout or a guy steps out of bounds, it needs to be addressed; like, ‘Hey, you ran out of bounds. You’re going to give Tom Brady two minutes and 30 seconds now to go down the field. You’re going to lose this game,’ so I kind of like to point out the things that are going to lead to a mistake, but we try to have fun and try to point out the positive things going on in the game.”
As Omaha Productions continues to produce informative, entertaining and compelling content across multiple verticals of dissemination, Manning enjoys consuming the work in which he does not star. In fact, he admitted to being in “way too many commercials” and shared that he filmed a few more recently that are coming out. Additionally, he took part in NBCUniversal’s coverage of the Olympic Games Paris 2024 as a co-host of the Opening Ceremony alongside Mike Tirico and Kelly Clarkson. The presentation drew 28.6 million viewers on NBC and Peacock, rendering it the most-streamed Opening Ceremony ever and the most-watched iteration of the event since 2012.
