Tensions are apparently running high inside the “Monday Night Football” booth.
Longtime broadcaster Joe Buck and Hall of Fame quarterback Troy Aikman got into an argument inside the announcer booth at SoFi Stadium ahead of Monday night’s game between the Los Angeles Rams and Buffalo Bills, according to Front Office Sports’ Ryan Glasspiegel.
Buck and Aikman’s relationship has reportedly been strained ever since Buck reportedly reached a new contract with ESPN last month that is reportedly worth more than $100 million over the next six seasons. The new deal will ensure that Buck will call the Super Bowl both this year and again when ESPN/ABC gets the rights to it in 2031.
Aikman, however, has not received a formal offer on a new deal.
So on Monday night, according to Glasspiegel, Buck “broke the ice” on the unspoken tension between the two. That led to an argument, which eventually de-escalated before the game started. The game carried on normally, and Buck and Aikman called the game without issue.
Aikman spent 12 seasons playing with the Cowboys, and he led the franchise to three Super Bowl titles before he retired after the 2000 campaign. He was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2006.
Aikman quickly transitioned into broadcasting after his playing career ended, and he joined Buck at Fox in 2002. The pair are the longest-tenured broadcast team in NFL history, and have undoubtedly become among the most recognizable voices in the sport. They left Fox for ESPN in 2022. Aikman reached his contract with ESPN first, and Buck followed weeks later.
It’s not known what would happen to Aikman should he split with ESPN after the Super Bowl. While there are several potential landing spots for him at other networks, an NFL world without the Aikman-Buck pairing is one that the sport hasn’t seen in decades.