Longtime Monday Night Football announcer Troy Aikman said he is looking for his “next landing spot” with his ESPN contract set to expire after February’s Super Bowl.
“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,” Aikman said in a radio interview with KTCK of Dallas on Thursday morning.
Aikman, a Hall of Fame quarterback who won three Super Bowls with the Dallas Cowboys, is in the final year of a five-year deal with ESPN that pays him $18m annually.
Joe Buck, Aikman’s broadcast partner for the past 25 years, recently finalized a six-year extension with ESPN that is worth more than $100m, according to the Athletic. Buck’s deal runs through the network’s next Super Bowl broadcast in 2031.
In Thursday’s radio interview, Aikman appeared to confirm earlier reports from Front Office Sports that there was tension between him and Buck over their contract situations. The pair reportedly had an argument before Monday’s game between the Buffalo Bills and Los Angeles Rams.
“There’s probably a time and a place for all that to be discussed,” Aikman said. “I don’t know if now is the time. I don’t know that it’s hard to figure out kind of what’s happened.“
If Aikman does leave ESPN, he could explore his options at other networks or streaming services or perhaps pursue a front-office role with an NFL team.
“I’m looking forward to whatever the rest of this season does hold, with the Super Bowl and all that, and where my next landing spot might be,” Aikman said.