Report: Peyton Manning Turned Down 'MNF' Because He Didn't Want to Analyze Eli

Former NFL quarterback and five-time MVP Peyton Manning reportedly declined an offer to join the Monday Night Football booth due to conflict-of-interest concerns, according to Charles Robinson of Yahoo Sports.

New York Giants quarterback Eli Manning, Peyton's brother, is scheduled to appear on Monday Night Football twice.

The Denver Broncos, who Manning played with from 2012 to 2015 after 14 years with the Indianapolis Colts, are scheduled once on the MNF slate.

"If he ever decides [Monday Night Football] is something he wants to do, it's going to be after Eli has finished his career and he gets a little bit further from his era of playing and maybe some of his teammates have moved on, too," a source told Robinson. "It would have been a tough position for him this season, with the Giants [and Broncos] being on the schedule. There is a lot of loyalty there for him and I don't think he'd ever want to be in a position where he'd be conflicted about his analysis. It just wouldn't have been a comfortable situation this year."

On May 30, Ryan O'Halloran of the Denver Post relayed a quote from Manning about turning down the MNF gig.

"I talked to the Monday night football folks," Manning said. "I enjoyed talking to the them. I had great conversation. It wasn't the right time this year. Maybe it will never be."

Peyton Manning has analyzed his brother before as part of the ESPN+ series Detail in November 2018. During that episode, he broke down the Giants' 27-23 win over the San Francisco 49ers, where Eli Manning completed 19 of 31 passes for 188 yards.

ESPN's Jordan Raanan called Peyton's analysis "mostly complimentary," with the only real knock being a block Eli threw for wideout Sterling Shepard.

The problem likely lies in live versus taped settings. Eli may have done well enough to lead the Giants to victory against San Francisco despite the pedestrian numbers, but he could conceivably struggle mightily in Monday Night Football matchups, which could put Peyton in a tough spot if harsh criticism is warranted.

And the same goes for Peyton Manning's old teammates on the Broncos, including edge-rusher Von Miller, wideout Emmanuel Sanders and cornerback Chris Harris Jr.

Perhaps the best decision has been made to avoid the situation entirely and stomp out any potential favoritism concerns then.

That being said, Manning's Detail commentary is both informative and entertaining, and he'd likely be a great fit in any booth should his decision change.

Denver's MNF game will be in Week 1 at the Oakland Raiders. The Giants host the Dallas Cowboys on Nov. 4 and visit the Philadelphia Eagles on Dec. 9.