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Joe Buck and Troy Aikman reportedly got into an argument over their contract situations
Joe Buck and Troy Aikman have spent 25 years in the booth together. That time could be coming to an end soon if the latter isn’t offered a new contract with ESPN.
According to reports, Joe Buck and Troy Aikman clashed before Monday night’s Rams-Bills game at SoFi Stadium. Ryan Glasspiegel of Front Office Sports reports that the tension stems from the pair’s contract situations at ESPN.
While Buck already agreed to a new six-year deal with ESPN, Aikman has not received a formal offer even though his current contract is reportedly set to expire after this season.
Joe Buck and Troy Aikman reportedly argued in the Monday Night Football booth before the Rams-Bills game over their contract situations
Glasspiegel reports that Buck broke the ice on the unspoken friction, which led to an argument between the two. The situation reportedly de-escalated quickly, and there was no sign of a problem during the broadcast itself. The details come from an unnamed source, and an ESPN spokesperson reportedly declined to comment.
Buck and Aikman are set to call this season’s Super Bowl, ESPN’s first broadcast. If Aikman leaves the Disney-owned network, the report says he would quickly become a sought-after free agent, with CBS potentially in the market to pair him with Jim Nantz as its top NFL analyst.
The pair have worked together since 2002, first at Fox and then at ESPN, which signed both away in 2022 on five-year deals. Aikman and Buck will return to the booth on October 19 to call the Monday Night Football gam between the Washington Commanders and San Francisco 49ers.
Aikman, a Super Bowl-winning and Hall of Fame quarterback with the Dallas Cowboys, has been broadcasting games since he retired from the NFL after the 2000 season.