ESPN appears to be punting on Troy Aikman’s contract situation until 2027.
The Athletic’s Andrew Marchand said on the “Marchand & Meterparel: Everybody Loves Sports Media” podcast that ESPN is planning on waiting until after the network’s first ever Super Bowl broadcast on Feb. 14 to either start talks on a new contract with the legendary Cowboys quarterback or move on.
Aikman, 59, is in the final year of a five-year, $90 million contract after he and longtime broadcast partner Joe Buck left Fox to be the new “Monday Night Football” announcers.
Buck, 57, recently agreed to a six-year extension with ESPN worth approximately $108 million, The Athletic reported. He was in the final year of a five-year, $75 million contract.
That Aikman has not also gotten a contract extension raises questions about his future and what ESPN might do with the “MNF” booth should the three-time Super Bowl winner depart.
Aikman, who is also a special advisor for the Dolphins, seems surprised that there haven’t been discussions with ESPN about a new deal.
“I thought something would be done prior to the start of this season,’ Aikman said on the “Sports Media with Richard Deitsch” podcast in an episode released Sunday. “I’ve never gone into a last year of a contract ever since I signed with the Dallas Cowboys. So, I thought that it would be done. It’s not. When it might get done, if it gets done, is anybody’s guess, and it’s just not something that I’m really putting a lot of energy into.”
Buck and Aikman have called NFL games together since 2002 and will call their seventh Super Bowl as a duo on Valentine’s Day.
Aikman’s desire to work with Buck will “no question” factor into his future plans.
“How much of that is my decision, I guess is yet to be determined,” Aikman told Deitsch. “Would I like to continue working with Joe Buck moving down the road? 100 percent.”
There could be a lot of movement among NFL broadcasters next offseason as Prime Video’s Al Michaels and Kirk Herbstreit, CBS’s JJ Watt and Ian Eagle and Fox’s Greg Olsen will all be free agents, per The Athletic.
There also remains uncertainty over Tony Romo’s role as CBS’s top game analyst after his drunk driving arrest. He is currently on leave.
