Peyton Manning is looking to team up with his longtime arch-rival.
The star NFL quarterback-turned-analyst is racing to add former Patriots coach Bill Belichick to his Omaha Productions entertainment company, according to The Athletic’s Andrew Marchand.
Belichick’s New England defenses were some of Manning’s chief adversaries over his 15 seasons with the Colts and Broncos.
The stoic coach parted ways with the Patriots at the end of the 2023 season, ending a run of 24 seasons with the team and cementing himself as one of the best in the history of the game.
Despite his Hall-of-Fame-worthy résumé, Belichick was unable to find any takers for his services for 2024.
There has been plenty of speculation the 71-year-old would end up in TV, with Manning’s reported pursuit a logical step.
He has already met with CBS and NBC, according to Marchand, with Pat McAfee having said he would try to bring Belichick into his ESPN/YouTube operation.
“I am trying my best to get Bill Belichick on this program at least once a week going forward. Just at least once a week going forward in the football season,” McAfee said during his eponymous show in February. “Could you imagine us peppering Bill Belichick every single week throughout an entire football season? That’s if he wants to get into the media world and if he would want to be on our particular program.
“There’s a chance he says no way.”
Fox is not considered a front-runner for his services, with Belichick’s former QB Tom Brady set to join the channel’s lead booth this season and fellow ex-Patriots stars Rob Gronkowski and Julian Edelman already in the fold.
Manning and his brother Eli — who famously twice defeated Belichick in the Super Bowl with the Giants — have excelled in their second careers as “Monday Night Football” analysts on ESPN’s alternate “ManningCast” broadcast.
Adding Belichick to their Omaha stable of sports greats, including David Ortiz, Sue Bird and former Alabama coach and longtime Belichick pal Nick Saban would be a big get for Omaha.
Even so, it may not be a lengthy venture into the medium for the notoriously tight-lipped defensive mastermind.
Belichick sits 14 wins back of Don Shula’s all-time mark of 347.
It’s believed he would prefer to return to the coaching ranks to pursue the record if a job becomes available.