Peyton Manning pursues Bill Belichick to join Omaha Productions: Sources

Peyton Manning is pursuing Bill Belichick in a bid to sign the longtime New England Patriots coach to Omaha Productions, Manning's entertainment company, officials familiar with the plans said. The athlete.

Belichick famously teamed up with quarterback Tom Brady to be a nemesis with Manning, the Hall of Famer's Indianapolis Colts and Denver Broncos, in a rivalry that spanned 15 years in the early 2000s. Manning hopes to bring Belichick into his company, which has partnerships with several famous athletes, including David Ortiz, Sue Bird, and Manning's brother, Eli.

A Belichick-Manning collaboration is one of several options that Belichick, considered by many to be the greatest NFL coach of all time, is bringing to the table after being on the sidelines for nearly five decades. He parted ways with the Patriots in January after 24 seasons and six Super Bowl titles in New England.

If Manning signs Belichick, the idea of teaming up with ESPN to create a Belichick and Nick Saban “Manningcast” is expected to be floated, according to officials familiar with the plans. Saban, considered by many to be the greatest college football coach of all time, joined ESPN's “College GameDay” after retiring from Alabama. (ESPN/Omaha could call it a “GOAT Cast.”)

Belichick has yet to meet with ESPN, but ESPN is interested in Belichick. Omaha Productions and ESPN work closely together on alternate showings of “Monday Night Football,” the Manning-hosted documentary “Peyton's Places” and satellite shows.

Belichick met with CBS and NBC executives, according to sources with direct knowledge of the meetings. Both CBS and NBC are considering adding new analysts to their studio offerings. The just-retired Jason Kelce is high on both networks' lists.

In meetings, Belichick declared he was not interested in being part of the weekly studio show on Sunday, according to officials familiar with his thinking.

The Networks are also a bit hesitant to offer a spot on the desk because of the strong belief that Belichick, who turns 72 next month, wants to return to the sidelines to pursue Don Shula's all-time record for wins. Belichick is 14 years behind Shula's 347 wins in regular-season and postseason training.

Belichick has made it clear that he only wants to talk about aspects of football that are important to him, but that is of course a two-way street. Networks and platforms will only pay him millions if they see a financially viable package. Pat McAfee, who has signed the likes of Aaron Rodgers and Saban for seven-figure appearance fees, has said publicly that he would seek to sign Belichick on his show, which airs on ESPN and streams on YouTube.

Belichick previously worked with NFL Films and NFL Network on the “NFL 100 All-Time Team” series, which highlighted the best players in the history of the sport. Belichick won a Sports Emmy in 2021 for his analysis, which was open and insightful. The idea of working with NFL Films again in partnership with other platforms is one that could be considered, as those familiar with Belichick's thinking have said he enjoyed the experience of working with that group.

All networks will hold a meeting with Belichick if he wants one. Fox, in a Super Bowl year, would be an interesting option, but he has a full package with Brady slated to be in the No. 1 wing this coming year. Fox is already heavy on patriotism with Brady, Rob Gronkowski and Julian Edelman, but that's never stopped the networks before. Although he's always a big game hunter, Fox is not viewed as Belichick's favorite.

With him unlikely to appear weekly on a major studio Sunday program, a partnership with Manning is an interesting prospect.

Over the course of their legendary careers, Manning vs. Brady was the greatest rivalry of a generation. Brady won more, in part, because he had Belichick by his side.

Now, as Brady and Manning do their second act in the media, Manning is trying to team up with Belichick.