Troy Aikman’s status for ESPN’s first-ever Super Bowl broadcast has been thrown into doubt amid his reported feud with longtime announcing partner Joe Buck.
According to a report by The Athletic, the ‘ugly’ behind-the-scenes drama leaves a ‘five percent chance’ that Aikman doesn’t make it to the big game.
Should ESPN opt to do their broadcast without the 59-year-old, it would leave Aikman out in the cold for the showdown at SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, California, next year.
Top NFL analyst roles across rival networks are all currently locked up by J.J. Watt at CBS, Tom Brady at Fox, Cris Collinsworth at NBC, and Kirk Herbstreit at Prime Video.
The intense speculation surrounding Aikman’s future comes after his decades-long partnership with Buck reached a boiling point last month.
The relationship reportedly fractured in September when Aikman discovered Buck had secretly signed a contract extension with ESPN back in the spring.
Troy Aikman’s status for ESPN’s first-ever Super Bowl broadcast has been thrown into doubt
Aikman is embroiled in a public and bitter dispute with his on-air partner of 25 years, Joe Buck
Neither Aikman nor Buck have addressed the reported feud publicly, although the former Cowboys star did acknowledge his uncertain future in a recent interview.
‘As I’m into my last year at ESPN, I’m realizing that this is something that could very well be taken away from me,’ Aikman told Dallas Cowboys insider Mike Fisher.
‘For the first time, I’m realizing how much I really do – I’ve always enjoyed it. I’ve always known that. But until you risk having something taken away from you, I think sometimes you tend to maybe take things for granted.
‘And so, for the first time probably in my career, I’m realizing, you know, this is a great profession. It’s been a great ride for me, and I hope it’s not over. Time will tell. But, yeah. So, we’ll see. I’m excited about what the rest of this year holds, and I’m excited to finally get back into the booth for a Super Bowl.’
The three-time Super Bowl champion and former Cowboys quarterback hinted last week that talks over a new deal had stalled, and a source recently told the Daily Mail that Aikman now sees the ‘writing is on the wall.’
While Aikman has little certainty over his future at ESPN, Buck has signed an extension with the Worldwide Leader for a reported $108 million over the next six years, according to The Athletic’s Andrew Marchand.
That deal is at the center of the reported feud between a duo that has been working together since their days at Fox in 2002. A source told Puck’s Dylan Byers that Buck ‘finally snapped’ after weeks of ‘Troy becoming increasingly cold, difficult, short, making comments.’
‘He basically said, ‘Dude, are we really going to do this?’ And Troy’s position was: ‘You f***ed me over!’ the source said.
Troy Aikman is now in the final season of his ESPN deal, but even amid reported tension with broadcast partner Joe Buck, the 59-year-old doesn’t sound like he’s ready to leave the booth
Buck reportedly offered an apology to the crew, including Aikman, for his role in the confrontation, telling colleagues: ‘We’re all adults, we’ve all got jobs to do, let’s move forward, let’s have a great year.’
That year will end in 2027 when ESPN broadcasts the Super Bowl on its airwaves for the first time in the network’s history.
Separating the pair would mean the end to a 24-year broadcasting partnership which began at Fox Sports before migrating to ESPN.
While Buck will stick around for the years to come, Aikman’s future has not been set. According to reports, Aikman viewed Buck’s secret contract as the ‘ultimate act of betrayal.’
‘They cut this deal in May and put it in a drawer. ESPN didn’t tell him, Joe didn’t tell him. Even [talent agency] CAA didn’t tell him,’ another source told Puck.
In September, Aikman told the ‘Sports Media with Richard Deitsch’ podcast that he was surprised his own contract wasn’t confirmed before the season began.
