ESPN's Troy Aikman says he'll be a 'free agent' after season, laughs about reported tension with Joe Buck - BERITAJA
Troy Aikman is slated to telephone Super Bowl LXI arsenic a colour commentator for ESPN successful February.
After that? Who knows.
An inductee of some the assemblage and pro shot halls of fame, Aikman has been successful the booth pinch play-by-play announcer Joe Buck for 25 years — astatine Fox for the first 2 decades and connected ESPN’s “Monday Night Football” since 2022. Based connected comments Aikman made Thursday morning, that could alteration aft the legendary UCLA and Dallas Cowboys quarterback’s statement runs retired pursuing the existent NFL season.
“I’ll broadcast done this season, and I’ll beryllium a free supplier astatine the extremity of the twelvemonth and benignant of spot what happens,” Aikman said during an quality connected KTCK-FM (96.7) successful Dallas-Fort Worth. “But I’m looking guardant to immoderate the remainder of this twelvemonth does hold, pinch the Super Bowl and each that and wherever my adjacent landing spot whitethorn be.”
Buck’s statement pinch ESPN was besides group to expire aft the season, but he and the web agreed to a six-year, $108-million extension, according to the Athletic. ESPN has not announced the deal.
“We won’t beryllium addressing talent statement specifics publically earlier the Super Bowl,” ESPN executive vice president of communications Josh Krulewitz said successful a connection astatine the time. The web declined to remark for this article.
On Wednesday, Front Office Sports reported “unspoken tension” betwixt Aikman and Buck since the latter’s statement extension. Before Monday night’s Buffalo Bills-Rams game astatine SoFi Stadium, FOS reports, Buck brought up the matter to his broadcast partner, and an statement ensued. The business reportedly had cooled by the clip they went connected the air.
Aikman laughed erstwhile that study was mentioned during his power interview.
“Well, I deliberation there’s about apt a clip and a spot for each that to beryllium discussed,” he said. “I don’t cognize if now is the time. I don’t cognize that it’s difficult to fig retired benignant of what happened.”
Plenty could hap betwixt now and February. If Aikman is to move connected from ESPN, however, a imaginable landing spot could beryllium astatine CBS wherever J.J. Watt has filled successful arsenic lead expert since the web put Tony Romo connected indefinite time off this summertime aft his apprehension on suspicion of operating while intoxicated. On Oct. 2, CBS Sports announced it and Romo had “mutually agreed to portion ways.”
A imaginable replacement for Aikman connected “MNF” could beryllium Greg Olsen, a one-time lead expert astatine Fox earlier being bumped down to the network’s No. 2 squad to make room for Tom Brady. Olsen’s statement pinch Fox expires aft this play arsenic well.
Or ESPN could find personification from wrong the company. Jason Kelce and Kurt Warner grip immoderate colour expert duties for world games connected NFL Network, which was acquired by ESPN earlier this year. Also, Front Office Sports speculated Monday connected X that Pat McAfee‘s replacement Super Bowl LXI broadcast connected ESPNU could service arsenic a “MNF” audition for the host.
McAfee, however, responded successful the post’s remark section, saying that script “isn’t real.”
“There’s been zero speech about this,” McAfee wrote.
