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Report: Bill Belichick to Have Recurring 'ManningCast' Role as Part of ESPN Contract

Julia StumbaughApril 24, 2024

New England Patriots head coach Bill Belichick announces he is leaving the team during a press conference at Gillette Stadium in Foxborough, Massachusetts, on January 11, 2024. Belichick, the NFL mastermind who has guided the New England Patriots to a record six Super Bowl titles as head coach, is parting ways with the team after 24 seasons. (Photo by Joseph Prezioso / AFP) (Photo by JOSEPH PREZIOSO/AFP via Getty Images)
JOSEPH PREZIOSO/AFP via Getty Images

Bill Belichick may not be coaching the New England Patriots this season, but that doesn't mean he won't continue weighing in on the NFL.

Belichick is expected to join Peyton and Eli Manning in a recurring role on ESPN's Monday Night Football with Peyton and Eli, The Athletic's Andrew Marchand reported Wednesday.

The former coach, who is entering the media world full-bore, reportedly stands to make "millions" through his ManningCast role, "a book deal, a potential inside football show and possibly a podcast," per Marchand.

Belichick announced last week that he would begin his media career Thursday by joining the Pat McAfee Show for a live show at the 2024 NFL Draft.

There is a chance Belichick could make further appearances on McAfee's show, which is simulcast on ESPN. McAfee said in February that he was trying to get Belichick to join the show "at least once a week" throughout the football season, per Ben Axelrod of Awful Announcing.

Becoming a regular on McAfee's show is just one of several roles Belichick could play on the network. Marchand reported in March that ESPN is "expected" to explore the idea of pairing Belichick and former Alabama head coach Nick Saban, who signed with ESPN as a College GameDay analyst in February after 17 seasons with the Crimson Tide.

Belichick could also become involved in "an undetermined football show" produced by Peyton Manning's production company Omaha Productions, Marchand reported.

The former Patriots coach is expected to receive an advance worth "well into the seven figures" for his book, which is expected to focus on the topic of leadership, per Marchand.

Marchand previously reported that Belichick planned to write a book and that Simon & Schuster's Avid Reader Press was considered the most likely publisher. The brand previously published journalist Jeff Benedict's The Dynasty, the look into the Patriots' two-decade period as a Super Bowl contender that later became a docuseries on Apple TV.

Earlier this month ESPN announced a nine-year extension with Omaha Productions, which will bring the partnership between the two companies into 2034.

That doesn't necessarily mean Belichick is planning on an extended broadcast career with ESPN, however.

When ESPN's Don Van Natta Jr., Seth Wickersham and Jeremy Fowler reported on Belichick's ManningCast deal on April 17, they described the move as Belichick "biding his time until next January," when he hopes to pursue an opening coaching position in the NFL.