He and his broadcast partner Joe Buck are both in the final season of the five-year deals they signed in 2022, when they left Fox for ESPN, and those deals expire after Super Bowl LXI in February, a game both are expected to call. But on Wednesday, the first major domino fell, as Buck agreed to a new six-year, $108 million extension with ESPN, keeping the voice of "Monday Night Football" around through 2031. Buck is one of the most recognizable voices in sports broadcasting.
He got his start calling games in the early '90s, following in the footsteps of his father, legendary broadcaster Jack Buck. He spent decades at Fox Sports, becoming the network's lead play-by-play voice for NFL games and World Series baseball, and he's been teaming up with Aikman for 25 years now. In 2022, Buck made the big move to leave Fox for ESPN, again pairing him with Aikman, this time to call MNF games, which is one of the most coveted jobs in the industry.
The two remain the longest-standing TV booth tandem in league history. While this is exciting news for Buck, along with sports fans, many of whom have been in his corner for years, it leaves many to wonder what's next for Aikman, the other half of Monday night's star duo. More news: Tony Romo’s CBS Future Suffers Major Blow After JJ Watt’s Strong Debut More news: Sean Payton Assigns Blame After Broncos’ Blowout Loss to Chiefs The good news for ESPN is that there's reportedly mutual interest in getting a new deal done, with both Aikman and Buck saying they're happy at the network.
Aikman himself has been direct about it, saying back in August, "I have no plans to leave ESPN. I'm enjoying my broadcasting career as much as I ever have." One interesting note is that both are represented by CAA, a powerhouse agency that could drive Aikman's price very high after the lucrative deal Buck just secured. There's also been separate discussions ongoing about Aikman's advisory role with the Dolphins, but he's made it clear that doesn't affect his broadcasting or role at ESPN.
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