Peyton Manning teases third host for ManningCast this season

ESPN’s alternate NFL broadcast, the Manningcast, hosted by brothers Peyton and Eli Manning could possibly welcome a third host for the 2023 season. A recent post by the former Denver Broncos star showed a binder with “Third Host Auditions” and “Confidential” written on the front.

“Trying something new for the Manningcast this year,” the elder Manning shared on Instagram, along with Omaha Productions.

Considering the alternate broadcast is branded specifically for the Mannings, many have speculated that the duo could be bringing in their third brother – Cooper Manning. Cooper is the father of Texas quarterback Arch Manning. The eldest of the trio has plenty of experience in front of the cameras.

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Besides Cooper, it’s hard to guess who the Mannings might consider for the show. They’ve hosted dozens of the sport’s current stars and legends on the Manningcast over its first two seasons but whoever they bring in as their third co-host would have to work in seamlessly with their brotherly banter.

Monday Night Football with Peyton and Eli is going into the third year of a three-year deal with ESPN.

Manningcast sticking to 10-game schedule

With the current schedule set for 10 Manning Cast broadcasts per season, and the revelation ESPN holds interest in expanding further, Eli Manning made his case for why the current format improves the quality of the product and keeps things fresh on air.

“I don’t want to see him every week and get his voice memos of breaking down (game) film,” Eli Manning said. “There’s something to people wanting more, and if we’re on too much, they might not want more. It keeps me motivated.”

Peyton Manning also dismissed the idea of covering more games moving forward following the final broadcast of the 2022-23 season.

“One thing I think comes through is just how much Eli and I enjoy this,” Peyton Manning said, via Fast Company. “We laugh a lot. If you maybe go to 17 games, maybe we’re not laughing as much, and it starts to get repetitive. ESPN has certainly mentioned going up to 12 games or more, and Eli and I held strong. We just feel the show is better if we keep it to the 10.”

Among the many guests to appear on the Manning Cast over the first two seasons, current and former players have brought unique analysis on the offense, defense and coaches making decisions on the field.

The show even gained a level of infamy among players early on as the “Manning Cast curse” struck multiple quarterbacks who made an appearance ahead of the next week’s game.

On3’s James Fletcher contributed to this report.