Bill Belichick teases ‘ManningCast’ partnership at Tom Brady’s roast

Bill Belichick’s plans for the 2024 NFL season continue to come into focus, which includes pairing up with two of his former nemeses — Peyton and Eli Manning — as part of the “ManningCast” for ESPN’s “Monday Night Football.”

Peyton Manning confirmed the news while speaking Sunday night at “The Roast of Tom Brady” in Los Angeles, which was streamed live on Netflix.

“It is great to see the greatest coach in NFL history, coach Bill Belichick, here. For those who don’t know, Coach is going to be doing some work on Eli and my ‘Monday Night Football’ show this year. I have to tell you — it’s going to be awesome,” Manning told the audience.

Then Manning delivered a zinger.

“Eli and I are super excited, and it’s going to give Coach Belichick something he hasn’t had in a while — a chance to be around quarterbacks he respects,” he cracked.

The New England Patriots’ battles against Peyton Manning and the Indianapolis Colts (and later the Denver Broncos) were often epic, while Eli Manning led the New York Giants to two Super Bowl wins over Belichick’s Patriots.

The 2024 season of “Monday Night Football” will be the fourth for the “ManningCast,” which aired 10 episodes last season on ESPN+ and ESPN2. The Manning brothers provide alternate analysis and commentary during the games while hosting a range of stars on the show.

This will be Belichick’s first season not coaching in the NFL since he began his career in 1975 as a special assistant with the then-Baltimore Colts. After the Patriots and Belichick parted ways in January after 24 seasons, Belichick interviewed for the Atlanta Falcons‘ head-coaching job that went to Raheem Morris.

One of the notable parts of his roast of Brady on Sunday came at the end when he said: “For all of you out there that think about who’s responsible for the Patriots’ success during the time Tom and I were there. Was it Brady? Was it me? Was it Brady? Was it me? In reality, the truth of the matter is it was both of us — because of me.”

Belichick had also shown his lighter side when he served as an analyst on “Pat McAfee’s Fifth Annual Draft Extravaganza,” where he analyzed prospects during the first round of the NFL draft. At the end of the show, Belichick and McAfee discussed future appearances.

“Is there any chance I could be on your show during the fall?” Belichick asked McAfee with a humorous touch.

McAfee responded: “Like, maybe Mondays?”

“Yeah, maybe something like that. Let’s see if we can work that out,” Belichick said with enthusiasm, slapping hands with McAfee.

So call it Belichick’s version of the media Cover 2 — a weekly appearance with McAfee and time on the “ManningCast.”