When one talks about the greatest Indianapolis Colts players of all time, there's one name that will always appear on every list, and that's Peyton Manning. Heck, you could talk about the greatest football players in general to ever play the game, and the Sheriff would still appear at the top of the list.
Then, of course, there's his brother Eli, who... well, he's a decent QB in his own right, but he's no Peyton. (Sorry, Eli.) After retiring, Peyton Manning founded Omaha Productions and launched ESPN's "ManningCast" along with Eli, providing analysis and commentary during football season.
And ManningCast has had no shortage of high-profile guests; these include football greats like Tom Brady, Jason Kelce, and Bill Belichick, and celebrities like Paul Rudd, Snoop Dogg, and Kevin Hart. But not everyone they invite on has agreed - even with Peyton going the extra mile to get them.
The ones that got away from Indianapolis Colts icon Peyton Manning
The Manning brothers recently discussed the guests they have tried - and failed - to book, and the names might be a little surprising. "A ton of great guests tonight, obviously with Bill Murray, Saquon [Barkley], Randy Moss coming, but I think we should let the people know that you tried to book a big-time fourth guest," Eli began. "Is it true that you failed to book Chicago native Pope Leo XIV?"
As insane as that sentence sounds, it actually is 100% true. "Yeah, kind of like I failed to recruit Randy Moss to Tennessee, I couldn't close the Pope, but I made the effort, Eli," Peyton responded. "That's the kind of effort we make here at ESPN2. I tried my hardest."
Peyton Manning really handwrote a note to The Pope to try to get him on the ManningCast. pic.twitter.com/TivoZF8lT4
— Omaha Productions (@OmahaProd) September 9, 2025
Peyton continued on to say that he put in a lot of effort to try to get Pope Leo - the first ever American pope - to appear on ManningCast, and listed him among his all-time most wanted guests.
"Look at these two handwritten letters I wrote. I wrote His Holiness himself, and I wrote his executive assistant. Handwritten. I made the effort," he said. "Look, these are handwritten letters, and if you're watching Your Holiness, this is an open invitation. Come on the show anytime. It's you, it's Tiger Woods, it's Bradley Cooper, it's President Bush, it's Larry David. Y'all are our most wanted on that list for the ManningCast. Come anytime. We'd love to have you, Your Holiness."
Peyton Manning and Pope Leo are not two names many people would put together, but it does make some sense. The ManningCast took place during Monday Night Football, with the Chicago Bears playing the Minnesota Vikings.
And while it's not known if Pope Leo is a football fan, he is known to love basketball and baseball, and is a long-time supporter of the Chicago White Sox; the team even placed a plaque in the chair where he attended a game. And he has been gifted tons of Chicago sports memorabilia since being named pope.
So, sure, this story might be a little out there... but so what? Crazier things have happened in the football world. And if anyone could lure a pope onto a football podcast, the GOAT would be the best person to do the job.