Troy Aikman’s Next Career Move Just Took a Big Hit Thanks to J.J. Watt

Troy Aikman’s future with ESPN looks to be nearing its end and on Thursday morning one possible next move for the Hall of Fame quarterback got eliminated, as CBS announced an extension with J.J. Watt that will make him the lead analyst for at least the next few years, after the network parted ways with Tony Romo.

Aikman is in the final year of his contract with ESPN. He and Joe Buck made the jump together from Fox in 2022 and have been the faces of Monday Night Football ever since. They have been broadcast partners since 2002 and have long been the best booth in the business.

However, tensions have reportedly been mounting between the two, stemming from Buck receiving a six-year, $108 million extension from ESPN last month. Aikman, meanwhile, hasn’t received a similar offer and is in the final year of his contract with the network.

Aikman said this last week about his future with ESPN: “I’ll broadcast through this season and I’ll be a free agent at the end of the year and kind of see what happens. But I’m looking forward to whatever the rest of this season does hold and the Super Bowl and all that and where my next landing spot might be.”

The best landing spot for Aikman seemed like at CBS where he could have paired up with Jim Nantz. That’s not going to happen now thanks to Watt’s new deal with the network.

So the question that needs to be asked now is simple: Where does Aikman go from here?

Why a return to Fox likely won’t happen

Aikman became a star at Fox during his 20 years calling the biggest games each week with Buck. After he left for ESPN, Greg Olsen took over in the lead booth and had an excellent two-year run in that seat. Then Tom Brady came along and took that job away from him with a 10-year deal that will pay him $375 million.

There’s just no way Aikman would return to Fox to join the No. 2 booth. Olsen, who currently holds that job but is in his final year of his contract, seems like the favorite to take Aikman’s spot alongside Buck on MNF if Aikman’s time with the network does come to an end.

Why a move to Amazon Prime Video isn’t a slam dunk

Prime Video has become the home of Thursday Night Football and it feels like that would be a good next landing spot for Aikman. However, Kirk Herbstreit currently holds that position and reportedly signed an extension last month that is believed to be a three-year deal.

Andrew Marchand of The Athletic says the way that deal was constructed could lead to Herbstreit leaving before it’s over.

“There are outs after Year 1 and 2,” Marchand said. “So I think Kirk would get his full money if it happened after this year. Before next year started. It’s basically buyouts.”

So would those options lead to Aikman getting the job next season? Not exactly. Marchand added that Prime Video really wants Sean McVay to take over if he decides to leave the Rams.

“McVay is one thing,” Marchan said. “I don’t think Amazon Prime Video would go after Troy Aikman. I think they want Sean McVay.”

So where does all of this leave Troy Aikman?

Aikman is now in a tough spot. The easiest thing for him to do would be to mend fences with ESPN and Buck and work on securing an extension to stay with the network. That could be easier said than done, especially because now ESPN knows CBS is out of the picture.

There’s now a good chance that Aikman will not be in a booth next year. He’s one of the best analysts in the game and has proven that for many years, but the current market isn’t looking good for him. Olsen has been a hot commodity since he shined in the No. 1 seat at Fox and handled his “demotion” (thanks to Brady) with class. ESPN probably saw that and would love to find a way to revamp the MNF booth with the former star tight end.

What makes this situation even more intriguing is that ESPN will air the Super Bowl this year, so Buck and Aikman will be a huge storyline all the way up to the biggest game of the year.

Announcer drama, you gotta love it. Unless you’re Troy Aikman.