CBS Nearly Hired Peyton Manning Before Sealing Tony Romo As Their Broadcaster

2 Years Before Tom Brady's $375,000,000 Fox Deal, CBS Nearly Landed Peyton Manning Before Giving $180,000,000 to Tony Romo

Tom Brady became the NFL’s highest-paid commentator with his $375 million deal. But two years before, it was Tony Romo who bagged the title of being the highest-paid broadcaster in the league with a 10-year, $180 million deal from CBS.

The deal nearly didn’t happen since as per the New York Post, CBS was also interested in bringing in Peyton Manning. There was a rush of competition to sign Tony Romo, mostly from ESPN, but CBS blew the final whistle.

Romo has since been highly successful for CBS, providing exciting commentary while also being known as the person who can predict plays before they happen. Peyton Manning, on the other hand, started perhaps the most hilarious and interesting broadcast of the NFL with his brother Eli Manning, The Manningcast, which airs on ESPN2 and ESPN+.

CBS Nearly Signed Peyton Manning Before Committing to Tony Romo

According to the New York Post, there was a lot of anxiousness surrounding what Tony Romo would do if he hit the open market.

In the middle of negotiating terms with Romo, CBS nearly pivoted and went with Peyton Manning. They were looking to offer Manning somewhere in the range of $10-$12 million per year.

However, Manning wasn’t ready to make a quick decision just yet. He wanted to take his time and analyze his options well, and so he kept CBS, and probably other networks on standby.

As apprehension grew around Romo’s situation, things became dicey at CBS. They knew that ESPN would pounce on Tony Romo if they got the chance. Apparently, ESPN was prepared to offer a 10-year deal worth $140 million.

However, knowing that the Super Bowl was being hosted on CBS that year and Manning’s indecision, CBS chose not to mess around too much and locked in on Romo. His deal was worth $180 million over 10 years and is second only to Tom Brady in terms of average contract value.

Tom Brady and Tony Romo Are Making Serious Money

Of course, Romo’s deal was groundbreaking given its value and its duration. However, in 2022, Brady seemed to shock everyone when he revealed that he signed a 10-year, $375 million deal with Fox.

That deal clearly puts Brady in the first place, but more than rankings, it’s what Brady and Romo and even Manning are trying to do that matters. Clearly, these quarterbacks have a deep love for the game of football, and it’s not something they can shake easily.

Now removed from the game physically, they’re finding ways to stay in the NFL scene while also making some serious money while doing it. What more could you ask for?

Post Edited By: Sauvik Banerjee
Peyton Manning Tom Brady Tony Romo

About the author

Ashish Priyadarshi

Ashish Priyadarshi is The SportsRush's content manager and editor. Ashish freelanced for 1 year in the NFL division before taking on an editorial role in the company. He then tacked on managing content while adding on a writing role in the NBA division. Ashish has been closely following the NFL and NBA since the 2012 season when the Patriots lost the Super Bowl and Derrick Rose was at the height of his powers. Since then, Ashish has focused on honing his knowledge for both leagues in, even writing crossover pieces. In his free time, Ashish is an avid basketball player, he loves to watch movies and TV shows, immersing himself in the cinematic world. Ashish studies computer science and data science at the University of Wisconsin-Madison and would love to mesh his love for sports with his technical skills.

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