Hall of Famer Kurt Warner did not land ESPN’s “Monday Night Football” job, but he might end up calling the Super Bowl — on radio.
Warner is the leading candidate to replace Boomer Esiason as Westwood One’s analyst on the Super Bowl, The Post has learned.
The Super Bowl and the playoffs are the prizes at the end of Westwood One’s broadcast season for its “Monday Night Football” radio crew. Esiason is stepping away from his MNF/Super Bowl gig on his own accord. Esiason had already cut back to doing about half the MNF games, with Warner doing the others.
Esiason, 57, has been in the MNF booth for 18 years, which, in turn, has allowed him to call the most Super Bowls of any broadcaster in history. Esiason has been on the radio call for more than a third of the 52 games. In 2000, he called the game on TV with Al Michaels. After the 1988 season, he quarterbacked the Bengals in the game.
Play-by-player Jack Buck, Joe’s father, did 17 games on radio and one on TV.
Esiason is walking away from the MNF/Super Bowl radio assignment because of his hectic fall schedule, which includes his daily WFAN morning show, as well as his studio jobs on CBS’ NFL pregame and Showtime’s “Inside the NFL.” Plus, his work for cystic fibrosis with his Boomer Esiason Foundation. Esiason made the announcement about his decision on his WFAN show, “Boomer and Gio,” on Monday.
Over the past four years, Esiason and Warner have split up the games on Mondays, working with play-by-player Kevin Harlan, but Esiason retained the Super Bowl gig.
Warner, 47, was one of the top candidates for the ESPN “Monday Night Football” job, but the folks in Bristol decided to go with Jason Witten and Booger McFarland to team with Joe Tessitore on its prime-time game coverage. Warner also works for NFL Network, so final radio contract arrangements still need to be finalized.
If all goes well, Warner will be calling the biggest game of the year on radio.