Why ESPN Is Handling Joe Buck, Troy Aikman Contracts Differently

Will Super Bowl LXI be the last time NFL audiences hear Joe Buck and Troy Aikman sharing the broadcasting booth for ESPN?

Aikman, who has been calling NFL games with Buck since 2002 when both were with Fox, moved to ESPN in 2022, when the pair took over Monday Night Football duties. But his current contract expires following the Super Bowl broadcast on February 14, 2027.

And as confirmed by Aikman on radio station KTCK in Dallas on Thursday, he’s currently slated to be a free agent when the season wraps up.

Meanwhile, Buck signed a new six-year deal worth a reported $108 million last month, for him to stay on with ESPN. When asked about his own contract after Buck’s news in September, Aikman told Sports Business Journal contributor Richard Deitsch that he hadn’t had formal conversations with the network about a new deal.

The weeks since reportedly created tension between the long-time booth partners, which finally came to a head – according to Front Office Sports – in an alleged argument prior to October 12’s game between the Los Angeles Rams and Buffalo Bills.

Buck and Aikman conducted the full broadcast together as planned, and barring unforeseen changes, will also do so for the rest of this season and the Super Bowl. But all indications are pointing to a breakup immediately after.

How Did Contract Issues Begin?

Though there could have been tensions between Buck and Aikman prior to Buck’s new contract, the fact is that their employer has not offered Aikman a deal (according to Troy himself).

Buck could’ve potentially opted to have his deal tied to Aikman returning to the booth with him, or held out for both of them to get similar deals at the same time. But ultimately, that’s not what happened. And it’s difficult to fault Buck for taking the offer from ESPN given the hefty sum and the job security that provides.

Without any public details about how Buck’s new contract came about, no one really knows whether he was ready to move on from Aikman, was prioritizing sticking with ESPN no matter what, or simply assumed his booth partner was negotiating separately.

Buck also has no other business holdings beyond his broadcasting career, so his ESPN salary is his income for a given year.

But that’s not the case for Aikman, which may play a part here.

Why The Differing Approaches To Buck, Aikman?

How employees make money outside of their primary roles shouldn’t impact the amount they are compensated by their employer. Yet, there’s a chance Aikman’s non-ESPN pursuits could factor if the network is simply not eager to bring him back at a similar number to Buck, when they know he makes more elsewhere.

Beyond his announcing duties, Aikman owns car dealerships in the Dallas-Fort Worth area, owns the light beer brand EIGHT and Arlington restaurant Troy’s, is a spokesperson and shareholder with VENU Holding Corporation, and has made numerous real estate investments over the years.

He also signed on with the Miami Dolphins as a consultant in January 2026 while the team searched for a new general manager and overall direction (and he’s been retained in a front office role since).

Aikman isn’t the first ESPN personality to have other business holdings, even if he potentially has more than most of his peers. But the potential conflicts of interest with the Dolphins – which Aikman has downplayed – could be the largest reason the powers-that-be at ESPN may want to move on.

Fox has dealt with a similar situation around Tom Brady’s ownership role with the Las Vegas Raiders, and that perceived issue hasn’t really gone away despite Brady dismissing the idea of a conflict.

Perhaps ESPN is not interested in inheriting the same sort of issues and/or criticisms around Aikman’s coverage if/when the Dolphins return to prominence and become a larger presence on the Monday Night Football schedule again. Without having any insider information, there’s also a chance that Aikman’s work with the Dolphins directly or indirectly caused issues with ESPN that led to him not being offered a contract.

What’s Next for Aikman, Monday Night Football Now?

With ESPN and the NFL part of the same family to an extent (the NFL owns a 10% equity stake in the network), the league may see 2027 as a chance to reset how the network covers the sport to an extent. And that includes Monday Night Football.

ESPN personality Pat McAfee has already downplayed the idea of him replacing Aikman, saying on his own show on Thursday that no conversations have taken place.

Fox’s Greg Olsen will be a free agent following the conclusion of this NFL season, and was that network’s lead analyst prior to Brady’s arrival in 2024. He could be a natural fit to step right into Aikman’s position, and would likely come on at a lower salary than what Aikman would request.

Other rumored names include Jason Kelce (already at ESPN), Luke Kuechly (at Netflix), and Tony Romo – who CBS parted ways with following an arrest for driving while intoxicated.

For Aikman, there are multiple options available on paper.

He could potentially step right into Romo’s role, which is currently occupied on CBS games by J.J. Watt. Or if Amazon Prime Video opts to reset their own booth with Al Michaels now 81 years old, Aikman could also go there to lead a new team.

Netflix or YouTube could be opportunities as well if either wants to invest more significantly in their NFL coverage.

In any case, all parties involved seem likely to be on NFL fans’ TVs next year, even if in different places.

This article was originally published on Forbes.com