Will we see Peyton Manning on MNF?

Nearly two years after Peyton Manning retired, how the future Hall-of-Famer is going to put his remarkable football mind to work for the NFL still remains a popular question.

And so far The Sheriff has mostly stayed out of the spotlight, except, of course, when being presented an award (which is pretty often), appearing in a commercial (which is very often) or making a guest appearance in the control booth (which is not so often).

But now that Jon Gruden is leaving ESPN to coach the Oakland/Vegas Raiders, the network is on the lookout for a Monday Night Football lead analyst, and the former Super Bowl-winning quarterback is a popular option.

Because who doesn’t want Peyton Manning?

With his excellent football IQ, dry wit and comfort on camera, PFM would be a natural choice.

“We want someone who loves the game, who is a student of the game but who has a personality as well,” ESPN executive Stephanie Druley told MMQB. “We want them to have interests outside of football and the ability to connect with the viewers. We talk often about how a broadcast should personalize and analyze—and I think we need to do more of that in the MNF booth.”

Manning hasn’t shown any interest in sitting in a broadcast booth to talk about football, but after the Tony Romo Experiment went so well, it would be crazy for networks not to at least try to woo the legendary QB.

And that’s exactly how they see it.

“We like Peyton Manning,” Druley said. “And we would be foolish not to talk [to] him.”

ESPN may have to wait in line behind a few other offers, though - including a standing one to coach his twins’ flag football team.

“I am a volunteer assistant coach on our kids’ flag football team. Last year they wanted me to be a full-time coach and I said, ‘Coach, let me tell you, you don’t have any pass plays. I cannot be involved with a team that has no pass plays,’” he told Peter King in October. “So I got them throwing the ball a lot more this year.”

Assuming Manning remains more interested in flag football than broadcasting, Matt Hasselbeck appears to be the lead choice to replace Gruden on Monday Night Football.

And while 44 percent of MHR liked the idea of Manning in the booth and 47 percent were more in favor of him in a front office job, I certainly wouldn’t object to some Peyton Freakin’ Manning on TV again.