ESPN is preparing to make significant decisions regarding the future of its high-profile NFL commentary team, Joe Buck and Troy Aikman, as both broadcasters are entering the final months of their current contracts.
The network aims to secure new deals for the duo before their current agreements conclude at the end of the upcoming season. Buck and Aikman, alongside sideline reporters Laura Rutledge and Lisa Salters, form the broadcast team for Monday Night Football. They are set to begin their fifth season together on September 14, when the Kansas City Chiefs will face the Denver Broncos.
This upcoming season is particularly significant as ESPN will broadcast Super Bowl LXI in February 2027, marking the first time the network will host the event. The Super Bowl is scheduled to return to ESPN after the 2030 season.
Aikman, a former three-time Super Bowl-winning quarterback for the Dallas Cowboys, signed a five-year, $90 million contract with ESPN in 2022, which reportedly averages $18 million per year, making him one of the highest-paid NFL commentators. Buck's five-year contract, worth $75 million, also concludes this season, with an annual salary of $15 million.
The landscape of NFL commentator salaries has shifted, notably with Tom Brady's reported 10-year, $375 million deal with FOX. However, both Buck and Aikman have expressed contentment with their roles at ESPN.
Aikman previously stated on the Sports Media with Richard Deitsch podcast that he is enjoying his time at ESPN and loves working with Buck and the rest of the team, indicating he does not foresee an end to his tenure in the near future. Buck echoed these sentiments, telling Deitsch that he would readily sign a new contract with ESPN without hesitation, expressing his hope to finish his broadcasting career with the network.