NFL notebook: ESPN, Fox pursuing Manning as analyst

[February 17, 2018]  Both ESPN and Fox are reportedly pursuing Peyton Manning to be their prime-time game analyst this season.

ESPN's "Monday Night Football" is still looking to replace Jon Gruden after he left the booth to return to the sidelines as the head coach of the Oakland Raiders. Fox has not announced who will call its new "Thursday Night Football" package.

Manning's decision to possibly enter the TV booth remains an intriguing storyline, and he would be the top choice for both networks, sources told the New York Post on Friday.

Manning has been approached multiple times about becoming a TV analyst since he retired after the 2015 season, winning a Super Bowl title with the Denver Broncos in the final game of his 18th NFL season. He has previously said he would consider a job running a team's front office, similar to John Elway in Denver.

--Super Bowl LII MVP Nick Foles continued his victory tour Thursday night, appearing on "Jimmy Kimmel Live!"

After covering a few typical topics, the conversation turned to the lack of a handshake between Foles and Tom Brady following the Eagles' victory, with Kimmel asking Foles if he had heard from the Patriots star QB.

"I haven't heard from him yet. I know he's busy, I know he's got a lot going on," Foles said as the crowd laughed. "I will say this. As soon as the game's over, you can't move. You can't even express emotions. There's so many cameras. You have to have a blocker in front of you. I was about to get (Eagles center) Jason Kelce and say 'Hey bro, just come with me for five minutes. ... Just block, block.'"

--Indianapolis Colts quarterback Andrew Luck, who missed all of last season recovering from shoulder surgery, says he is looking forward to the aggressive offensive style of new coach Frank Reich.

Reich, who served as offensive coordinator for the Super Bowl-winning Eagles, was formally introduced by the Colts on Tuesday and said he wants his offense to be a "multiple, attack, up-tempo offense" that is "aggressive."

"That sounds great," Luck told Colts.com on Thursday. "I know all the best offenses that I've been a part of in my career, we've not been static and we've attacked. And I'm sure he'll have a great flavor and we'll involve as many people as we can, and attacking defenses is what it's all about."

--The Carolina Panthers reinstated interim general manager Marty Hurney from paid administrative leave on Friday after the NFL cleared him in an investigation of a harassment complaint made against Hurney by his ex-wife.

According to the team, the NFL found no evidence of a violation of the personal conduct policy, and the investigation is now closed.

 

The Panthers placed Hurney on paid leave Feb. 4, less than a week after he interviewed for the team's full-time GM position. The Panthers have also interviewed Texans assistant GM Jimmy Raye III, Bills assistant director of scouting Lake Dawson and 49ers executive and former Lions GM Martin Mayhew.

--Houston Texans defensive end J.J. Watt will receive an honorary doctorate from Baylor for his Hurricane Harvey relief fundraising efforts.

Watt, who earlier was named Sports Illustrated co-Sportsman of the Year and the NFL's Walter Payton Man of the Year, will now add a scholarly honor from the Baylor medical school.

The university announced Thursday it will give Watt a Doctor of Humanities in Medicine degree during Baylor's commencement ceremony on May 29. The Baylor College of Medicine awards the honorary degree to individuals who have provided exceptional support or service directly or indirectly to the school or to academic medicine as a whole and to the community at large.

--When Shad Khan purchased the Jacksonville Jaguars in January 2012, he took over one of the laughingstocks of the NFL, with a fan base lamenting its stadium and worried he could move the team from North Florida, perhaps to another continent.

Now, Jacksonville has a Super Bowl contender, an owner revitalizing the downtown area and no fears of the team moving. And that stadium? It's as in-demand as ever.

Financial-services giant TIAA, which purchased Jacksonville-based EverBank Financial Corp. in 2017, will inherit the naming rights to the stadium. The club announced Friday that it will play at TIAA Bank Field beginning next season, replacing EverBank Field.

EverBank originally purchased naming rights to the stadium in 2010 and signed a 10-year, $43 million extension with the club in 2014.

--The Miami Dolphins reportedly will be making minor tweaks to their uniform for the 2018 season.

An NFL source told Armando Salguero of the Miami Herald that the changes will be an "evolution rather than a revolution" and that they will not drastically alter the look that the Dolphins adopted five years ago. The current uniform shows aqua, orange, blue and white as the team's color palette.

The change is expected to affect the team's jersey, pants and helmet, according to the newspaper. The team's logo itself is not expected to undergo radical change.

--Field Level Media

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