ESPN faces booth question before first Super Bowl as Aikman heads for free agency
ESPN could head into its first Super Bowl with its lead commentary team in doubt.
Troy Aikman says he will be a free agent, meaning out of contract and free to sign elsewhere, at the end of the year, but plans to stay on Monday Night Football through the end of the season. His broadcast partner Joe Buck has already agreed a renewal with ESPN parent organisation Disney, reported as a five-year deal worth $108 million, according to Deadline.
Buck and Aikman called NFL games together on Fox for 20 years before joining ESPN in 2022. In the 2024-25 season they returned for a third season together on Monday nights with reporter Lisa Salters, and they now lead the Monday night programme with Salters and Laura Rutledge for the Super Bowl LXI season, ESPN confirmed in August, per ESPN.
The timing matters. ESPN will carry the Super Bowl for the first time in February, with sister network ABC showing the game for the first time since 2006. Aikman's current deal is set to expire after the Super Bowl, and he had yet to re-sign as of October, according to Deadline.
Off air, Front Office Sports reported a heated exchange between Buck and Aikman witnessed by colleagues before the Los Angeles Rams-Buffalo Bills Monday game. That account was picked up by Deadline. Neither ESPN nor the broadcasters have confirmed a rift, and Aikman says he intends to finish the season as analyst, the former player who explains tactics alongside the play-by-play caller.
For viewers, this means no change yet. Same voices. Same slot. The question is who sits in the analyst chair next season.
Business around the booth is shifting too. Josh D'Amaro succeeded Bob Iger as Disney chief executive in February. Disney has also struck a deal exchanging a 10% stake in ESPN for control of media assets including NFL Network.
Two names have been floated in speculation about a possible successor: Peyton Manning and Travis Kelce. That remains speculation. No decision has been announced, and ESPN has not detailed its plans beyond the current season.
