Joe Buck and Troy Aikman have been TV broadcast partners since 2002. Yet, with Aikman entering the final year of his contract at ESPN and Buck recently agreeing to a six-year extension that keeps him at his position through 2032, there is now a real possibility that their partnership ends after this season.
It’s not because of Aikman. Apparently, ESPN hasn’t been eager to negotiate an extension with the Hall of Fame QB, but that didn’t stop Buck from signing on the dotted line. Now, Aikman feels like he got the short end of the stick, and sees a bit irked at his partner. To which, a former Pro Bowler isn’t too keen on the way Buck operated.
LaVar Arrington Calls Out Joe Buck Over ESPN Negotiations
Buck has a shiny new deal, one he reportedly agreed to back in May, without communicating with or letting Aikman know that he has a new contract with ESPN.
Meanwhile, former NFL linebacker and three-time Pro Bowler, LaVar Arrington, admitted on the “Two Pros and a Cup of Joe” show that the way Buck operated was a bit shady, considering he mistreated a long-time friend.
“If this is truly how things unfolded, then Joe Buck, you should be ashamed of yourself, bro,” Arrington said. “You should be ashamed of yourself in so many different ways, and I hope some way, somehow you can find… there are always chances for redemption, man.”
“Find a way to make it right,” he added. “I don’t know what making it right is, but if all the details that I read yesterday, are true, like, bro, you gotta do better than that. If that’s the type of friend you are, then God bless, man; those things come back on you sometimes.”
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Aikman is one of the best NFL TV color commentators in the business. Thus, if he’s not working for ESPN in 2027, he may be able to land on his feet with another position on TV elsewhere, possibly even at Amazon, as some have predicted.
Yet, for now, he has an uncertain future at ESPN, all while Buck can sit back and relax, knowing his place is secure.
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While there’s always a chance that ESPN will reach out to Aikman and make things right, for now, it appears that, for the first time in 25 years, Buck will have a new full-time broadcasting partner in 2027, which could take some time for both him and the audience to adjust to.
With only so many TV broadcasting jobs available, Aikman might have to do something he hasn’t had to do since he played for the Dallas Cowboys, scramble around until he finds an opening.
This article originally appeared on Pro Football Network.