Sports · American Football · 7 hrs ago
Joe Buck and Troy Aikman face uncertainty over their ESPN future
Joe Buck and Troy Aikman reportedly argued before a Monday Night Football broadcast in October.
The longtime partners have called NFL games together for more than two decades and joined ESPN in 2022 after working at Fox.
Buck has agreed to a new ESPN contract, while Aikman’s current deal expires after the season.
Aikman did not deny the reported disagreement and said he would be a free agent at season’s end.
He plans to keep broadcasting through the season, including the Super Bowl, which ESPN and ABC are set to carry in February.
The tension matters because the pair helped restore interest in Monday Night Football, and Aikman’s departure would leave a major gap in ESPN’s booth.
Aikman’s next move remains uncertain, and the two are expected to continue working together for the rest of the season.
Joe Buck has signed a new deal with ESPN, while Troy Aikman’s contract is due to expire after the season.
Reports say the longtime broadcasting partners argued before a Monday Night Football broadcast on October 12.
Aikman did not deny the reported disagreement when asked about it in a radio interview.
He said he would work through the season and become a free agent at the end of the year.
The two appeared together in ESPN’s broadcast booth the following Monday, but their future partnership remains uncertain.
- Who
- ESPN NFL broadcasters Joe Buck and Troy Aikman.
- What
- Their reported disagreement and uncertain future together at ESPN.
- When
- The reported argument was before the October 12 broadcast; Aikman’s contract expires after the season.
- Where
- ESPN’s Monday Night Football broadcast booth. Aikman discussed the reports on Dallas radio.
- Why
- Reports linked the tension to their different contract situations: Buck has renewed with ESPN, while Aikman has not.
This story does not have two clearly opposing sides.
Buck and Aikman reportedly argued before the Monday Night Football broadcast of the Los Angeles Rams-Buffalo Bills game.
Front Office Sports reported the argument, according to Us Weekly.
Aikman was asked about the reported disagreement during a Dallas radio interview and said he would be a free agent at the end of the year.
Buck and Aikman appeared together in ESPN’s broadcast booth for Monday Night Football.
- Buck’s ESPN deal
- Deadline reported a five-year deal worth $108 million; Us Weekly reported a six-year extension worth $108 million.
- Aikman’s contract
- Set to expire after the season; he has yet to re-sign.
- Reported argument
- Before the October 12 Rams-Bills broadcast.
- Broadcast partnership
- Buck and Aikman have worked together since 2002, according to the Daily Mail.
- Next major broadcast
- ESPN and ABC are expected to simulcast Super Bowl LXI in February.
5 sources
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Joe Buck and Troy Aikman reunited in ESPN booth after shock 'argument'... with NFL fans sent into frenzy by 'awkward' clip: 'It looks tense'
‘Monday Night’ Friction? ESPN NFL Broadcasters Joe Buck & Troy Aikman Have Noisy Start To Super Bowl Year
Inside the Troy Aikman and Joe Buck Feud: What We Know About the ‘MNF’ Rift
What people are saying
I’ll be a free agent at the end of the year and kind of see what happens
There’s probably a time and a place for all that
There’s no way that you can treat that in any way other than a marriage. You have to put work in.
Posts on X
Cowboys Hall of Famer @TroyAikman joined The Musers this morning, and the guys gave let him have the floor to address the headlines over the last 24 hours about his situation over at ESPN, regarding his contract status. @georgedunham @junior_miller @gordonkeith