Troy Aikman admits he has ‘had no conversations’ with ESPN regarding his future despite colleague Joe Buck signing a massive new deal.
Buck will continue as the voice of ‘Monday Night Football’ into the 2030s. According to The Athletic, his annual salary is rising from $15 million to $18 million in the massive deal worth $108 million in total.
Buck, 57, and Aikman, 59, have been together in the booth since 2002 and left Fox together to join ESPN in 2022.
They will be behind the mic as the network hosts the Super Bowl for the first time at the end of this season.
But beyond that, three-time Super Bowl champion Aikman’s future is unclear. His five-year, $90 million contract ends after this season, and he has acknowledged he has not discussed what happens next with his bosses.
‘I thought something would be done prior to the start of this season,’ Aikman said on the Sports Media with Richard Deitsch podcast that was released on Sunday.
Troy Aikman admits he has yet to have any conversations with ESPN over a contract extension
Aikman’s partner, Joe Buck, has recently signed a new deal worth over $100M with ESPN
Buck and Aikman are the NFL’s longest-running commentary pairing, now in their 25th season
‘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.’
Aikman said there is ‘no question’ working with Buck is a factor in his future and he would love to continue knowing his partner’s role is secured.
‘How much of that is my decision, I guess is yet to be determined,’ Aikman added. ‘Would I like to continue working with Joe Buck moving down the road? 100 percent.’
Despite news of Buck’s new contract being made public, ESPN has declined to comment on specifics, insisting full focus is on this year’s historic Super Bowl broadcast.
‘With this historic season for ESPN now underway, our entire focus is on bringing fans the best possible football coverage, culminating with our first Super Bowl,’ ESPN executive vice president of communications, Josh Krulewitz, said.
‘To that end, we won’t be addressing talent contract specifics publicly before the Super Bowl.’
Buck and Aikman started their 25th season together, making them the longest-running commentary team in NFL history, with the Kansas City Chiefs’ win over the Denver Broncos on Monday Night Football in Week 1.
They are back at SoFi Stadium broadcasting the New York Giants’ trip to face the Los Angeles Rams in Week 2.
