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All is right in the world of “Monday Night Football.”
There was seemingly no tension in the air nor a pre-show argument between Joe Buck and Troy Aikman after what was a drama-filled week over ESPN contract negotiations.
During the matchup between the 49ers and Commanders at Levi’s Stadium, the two opened the broadcast and did not address the tiff that ensued between them last week.
Prior to the Rams-Bills game in Week 5, Buck reportedly “broke the ice” over the looming ESPN contract extensions but was eventually de-escalated. Through various pre-game photos and videos, the two seemingly did not speak to one another on SoFi Stadium field, nor did they go up to the booth together.
Last month, The Athletic reported Buck agreed to a six-year extension worth around $108 million with ESPN to remain as the play-by-play voice behind “MNF.” It has set him to be on call for the network’s second Super Bowl in 2031 after the Worldwide Leader hosts its first in February 2027.
Aikman, whose contract expires at the end of the season, has not received an offer.
Following the reports of the argument, the three-time Super Bowl champion quarterback with the Cowboys addressed his situation with the network, admitting he believes the company will be moving on.
“It just seems to be where they’re going — that they’re gonna go in a different direction because there’s been no talks, no contract negotiations,” Aikman told Jimmy Traina. “We’re in a Super Bowl year. The Super Bowl is Feb. 14. My contract ends in March. It just doesn’t seem logical that if they were gonna keep me, something wouldn’t be in place before that.”
He also was asked about the argument with Buck and told a Dallas radio station that he didn’t know if now was the time or place to address it.
“I don’t know if it’s hard to figure out kind of what happened,” he said. “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. 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 may be.”
If Aikman moves on from the network, one prominent landing spot could be in CBS’ top NFL booth that potentially will have an open spot following its split with Tony Romo. JJ Watt is his replacement for the season.
Buck, 57, and Aikman, 59 have been broadcast booth partners for 25 years.
They both signed five-year deals during the 2022 offseason in a move that took them from Fox to ESPN.
At the time of negotiations, Aikman reached a deal first with the network. Buck followed weeks later after Fox agreed to let him go while on the final year of his contract.