The contract dispute between Troy Aikman and ESPN is playing out in real time, and more people are starting to take notice of it. After bringing his pairing alongside Joe Buck to be the lead broadcasters for Monday Night Football, the network hasn’t given the Dallas Cowboys legend an extension so far.
This week, as the San Francisco 49ers took on the Washington Commanders in the primetime spot, fans were split on the effort and enthusiasm they were seeing from Aikman.
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After retiring, Aikman joined Fox as an NFL analyst in 2001 and began working with Buck on the network’s top crew the following season. Working at the company for nearly two decades, the two made the switch to ESPN in 2022. That initial contract runs till the end of the 2026 season.
So far, the network has signed Buck to a contract extension. But the same luxury hasn’t come through for Aikman. As a result, reports emerged about the two longtime announcers having some tension between them last week.
As they opened the broadcast to welcome viewers, fans were already jumping to make sense of what they were seeing. While some believed Aikman wasn’t performing with the same gusto as before, others found his effort commendable.
“Troy Aikman does not want to be there,” one fan argued. “I love how Aikman calls everything straight and doesn’t sugarcoat anything. I’m going to guess CBS gets him to pair him with [Jim] Nantz.”
After Tony Romo’s legal trouble, CBS and the former Cowboys quarterback mutually agreed to part ways despite four years remaining on his contract. In his place, they’ve given the role alongside Nantz to J.J. Watt. But it’s still unclear if that change is going to be permanent.
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“Looks normal,” one fan argued otherwise. “They’re pros. Joe might be forcing the excitement a hair.”
But others looked at the situation differently, with one fan claiming, “Let’s just say Aikman doesn’t look happy,” while another joked, “Troy Aikman blood boiling.”
Meanwhile, some people couldn’t see the controversy reflected in the two announcers, asone fan claimed, “I have no idea what people are looking at lmao I see nothing here.”
This fan argued, “Two professionals. No problem,” while one fan seemed fed up with the discourse as he exclaimed, “They literally seem fine.”
However, one fan believed that the problem had extended beyond the opening clip floating around the internet. Throughout the game, he argued, Aikman hadn’t been nearly as engaged or as charismatic as he usually is.
“Aikman is barely speaking tonight. No unnecessary banter with Joe Buck. He’s just providing input on the game and not much of anything else. Not sure how this is sustainable for four more months.”
It remains to be seen if ESPN also views the situation similarly. With a long way to go before the end of the season, a lot of potential changes could come into the picture as the broadcast for several networks could be preparing for a revamp.
This article originally appeared on Pro Football Network.