Recently, some tension has emerged between Joe Buck and Troy Aikman regarding Aikman’s ongoing contract situation with ESPN.
According to a report from Front Office Sports on Wednesday, Buck initiated a discussion about this issue with Aikman on Monday, right before ESPN’s broadcast of the Rams-Bills game. An argument ensued, though it eventually settled down. Currently, Aikman has not received a formal offer for an extension from the network.
Despite the disagreement, both continued to call the intense overtime game as if everything was fine.
The Athletic noted in September that Buck had come to an agreement with ESPN for a six-year contract worth approximately $108 million, securing his position as the play-by-play announcer for “Monday Night Football” for the foreseeable future. This deal means he will call the network’s second Super Bowl in 2013, following his first in February 2027.
Aikman is in the midst of a five-year, $90 million contract, which is set to expire after February’s Super Bowl. Buck and Aikman have been broadcasting together for 25 years, making them the longest-tenured duo in NFL history.
During the 2022 offseason, ESPN signed both Buck and Aikman to five-year contracts, which ended their time at Fox. In that negotiation process, Aikman was the first to finalize his deal, which paved the way for Buck to get out of the last year of his Fox contract.
This ongoing situation with Aikman and ESPN comes amid uncertainties about the CBS booth for the next season. CBS recently parted ways with Tony Romo following a drunk driving arrest in July, with J.J. Watt stepping into his role alongside Jim Nantz for the time being.
Additionally, Fox’s Greg Olsen is a free agent, while Kirk Herbstreit has just signed a new deal with Amazon Prime to continue on “Thursday Night Football,” although he has an exit option if the streaming service decides to pursue someone like Sean McVay.
