Troy Aikman remains a front-office advisor for the Miami Dolphins, and it’s a gig that he might start to consider more fully at the end of this NFL season.
That’s because right now, Aikman is trending to leave ESPN, Monday Night Football and his partnership with broadcaster Joe Buck sooner rather than later. Contract implications and a possible feud or argument have changed the scope of this season for Aikman.
Aikman is known first and foremost for his time with the Dallas Cowboys as the quarterback for “America’s Team,” but he and Buck have been teammates for a long time, coming over from Fox to ESPN together to add a renewed level of performance to the Monday Night Football booth.
That all seems close to the end now. Here’s what we know.
Is Troy Aikman Leaving ESPN?
Aikman does appear to be leaving ESPN at the end of this season.
His contract is known to be up when the 2026 NFL campaign concludes, and there’s been no renewal.
Aikman recently spoke to the Dallas Morning News about his thinking.
“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. “I’m looking forward to whatever the rest of this season does hold and the Super Bowl and all that and where my next landing spot may be.”
That’s one of the ironies of this — for the first time, ESPN will broadcast the Super Bowl this year. Aikman will be on the call with Buck.
After that, though, no one yet knows what will happen with Aikman.
Troy Aikman-Joe Buck Argument
There have been reportedly been arguments between Aikman and Buck, or some form of feud, although not a lot is really known about the details.
Aikman was asked about that by the Dallas Morning News as well and sort of deflected the topic.
“There’s probably a time and a place for all that,” Aikman said. “I don’t know if now is the time. I don’t know if it’s hard to figure out kind of what happened.”
Why Would Troy Aikman Be Mad At Joe Buck?
Aikman’s anger, if it’s there, would stem from the contract situation at ESPN.
Buck has been reported to be getting a new five-year contract. ESPN apparently has not offered Aikman the same thing — or offered it in such a way that Aikman chose not to accept.
It certainly makes Monday Night Football a little more dramatic each week for the rest of the season.
Aikman and Buck have been together for 25 years, beginning together at Fox in 2002 and coming to ESPN in 2022.
A quarter-century is a long time, and that might be the extent of this relationship.
Is Troy Aikman Leaving ESPN? Why MNF Announcer Is Feuding With Joe Buck