Peyton Manning turned down some high profile offers to become a game analyst this season, but he has agreed to do a show that seems like it will be perfect for him.

Kobe Bryant debuted a show with ESPN called “Detail” last NBA season that broke down crucial details of the game that most people wouldn’t notice. The show allowed fans a deeper dive into the game and a greater appreciation for it. Bryant’s Granity Studios wanted to expand to other sports, so it will collaborate with NFL Films to produce a similar show with Manning. The show will be on ESPN+ and the first episode will be released Thursday, the network announced. The first NFL episode with Manning will break down Arizona Cardinals rookie quarterback Josh Rosen’s game against the Minnesota Vikings last week.

The show itself should be very interesting, but it’s also interesting because we’ve been waiting to see Manning get into something football-related since retirement.

Could Peyton Manning be transitioning to broadcasting?

It’s funny to look back on the speculation of what Manning would do in retirement. He retired after the 2015 season, and he still hasn’t taken on any huge job in or out of football other than being Brad Paisley’s wingman in commercials that are constantly on our television screens.

Manning is allowed to do whatever he wants after a long career, but the universal respect for him within the game is why we keep waiting to see him get back in the NFL in some capacity. He obviously has the personality to be on television, the smarts to break down the game as an analyst or the experience to be a great coach.

With his new ESPN project, he can pretty much do all three.

Kobe Bryant’s first call about NFL show was to Manning

When Bryant wanted to expand his show to the NFL, landing Manning made a lot of sense.

“Peyton was my first call to be the NFL athlete due to his unrelenting preparation and study of his craft,” Bryant said in a release. “The next generation of football players will learn first-hand how one of the greatest players of all time objectively breaks down a game. It’s the ultimate film session for anyone who wants to learn and improve.”

The X’s and O’s of football are complicated — there’s a reason coaching staffs famously work 80 hours a week or more on game plans— but they can open up a new way of watching the NFL. Bill Belichick’s film breakdowns on the Patriots’ website are illuminating and fun. Manning is known for his film study and we’ll get a chance to see if he can teach what he sees to a wide audience, which Bryant has done well with his NBA show.

“I’ve always enjoyed talking football with coaches, players and passionate fans, and that’s at the core of this show,” Manning said in ESPN’s release. “I’m honored to help expand Kobe’s ‘Detail’ to a football audience.”

Perhaps the show is a first step toward Manning getting into the booth for games. Fox and ESPN reportedly made strong pushes to land him this season, but he declined. Manning would be the biggest draw in the booth perhaps since the days of Howard Cosell.

For the meantime, it’ll be nice to have Manning back talking football and not just cracking jokes on insurance ads.

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Frank Schwab is a writer for Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at shutdown.corner@yahoo.com or follow him on Twitter!
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