Once you are the quarterback of the Dallas Cowboys, your business becomes Jerry Jones’ business, and that extends to your post-playing media career. Just ask Tony Romo and, now, Troy Aikman.
To catch everyone up to speed, Ryan Glasspiegel of Front Office Sports reported last week that “tension” has been brewing between Aikman and Buck, the voices of ESPN’s Monday Night Football since 2022. Buck signed a six-year contract extension last month, while ESPN remains uncommitted to Aikman beyond this NFL season.
Aikman sounded like a man expecting to hit free agency, both on KTCK The Ticket and in an exchange with Jimmy Traina. Jerry Jones is keeping tabs on the unfolding saga and commented while leaving a two-day meeting amongst NFL owners in New York City.
“I sure am,” Jones said, per Mark Maske of Front Office Sports. “I think the world of Troy. And I’m always very interested and so proud of what he’s become, the person as well as the career he’s having. And I’m proud of that, and it feels good to have been with him early as a player. So, yes, I pay a lot of attention to him.”
Maske also relayed that NFL chief media officer Hans Schroeder has “no concern” about Aikman and Buck’s dynamic on MNF.
In terms of Aikman’s viability as an NFL front-office executive, Jones added, “Troy is very capable. And he’s so really, relatively speaking, he’s in his youth [in his] career. And he’s very capable of doing [any] number of things, certainly having to do with football. I don’t know of any area, short of getting back out there on the field […] that he’s not qualified and competent to go into.”
Given all the headlines about Aikman’s status at ESPN, it flew relatively under the radar that Aikman is also reportedly in flux in his consultant role with the Miami Dolphins.
Jones also vouched for Romo, and it had zero impact on CBS’s decision to part ways with Romo in favor of J.J. Watt, so keep that in mind when weighing Jones’ comments about Aikman. Ultimately, ESPN will have to decide whether to retain Aikman or shake up the NFL’s premier booth. It’ll take a whole lot more than Jones’ two cents to keep Aikman and Buck together.
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