Tiger Woods and the Pope among those on this Peyton Manning Mount Rushmore

1226824064 Tiger Woods is on many a Mount Rushmore. The Mount Rushmore of professional golfers, the Mount Rushmore of all-time athletes in general, the Mount Rushmore of video game characters, etc. etc. He found himself on yet another elite Mount Rushmore on Monday night, too—the Mount Rushmore of guests Peyton Manning would like to nail down for ESPN’s Monday Night Football “Manningcast” with Peyton and brother Eli.

You’d think, given the fact Peyton and Tiger teamed up to defeat their arch rivals, Tom Brady and Phil Mickelson, in the 2020 edition of The Match, that a Woods appearance on the “Manningcast” would have happened years ago. Evidently not. During the Chicago Bears-Minnesota Vikings game on Monday night, The Sherriff said Woods is among a list of five incredible names he’s been unable to secure, but not for lack of trying.

“We should let the people know that you tried to book a big-time fourth guest [tonight],” says Eli in the clip below.

That guest Eli was referring to was not Woods but Chicago native Pope Leo XIV, who Peyton handwrote a letter to in the hopes of getting him on for the NFC North clash. That’s when Peyton revealed the rest of the names he’d like to get on, including Woods:

What a wild collection of names. The Pope, the greatest golfer of all time, one of the best actors of his generation and a rabid Philadelphia Eagles fan, a former president and the creator of two of the greatest comedy shows ever. We’d say it’s lofty, but the Mannings have had former president Barack Obama on, they’ve had LeBron James on, they’ve had Phil Mickelson on. They aren’t exactly trotting out C-listers.

Unfortunately, though, no Tiger… yet. Perhaps this was a little breadcrumb from Peyton. They won’t be on the air in Week 2, when Tiger’s beloved Las Vegas Raiders take on the L.A. Chargers in the nightcap of next Monday’s double-header. But they will be on the air in Week 11 when the Dallas Cowboys visit Vegas to take on the black and silver. Plenty of time between now and then for Peyton to lock it down.