The most high-stakes sports TV talent negotiation of the year is poised to kick off between Troy Aikman, Joe Buck, and ESPN.
ESPN wants to re-up the Monday Night Football duo, whose contracts expire after the 2026 NFL season. If ESPN gets its way, Aikman and Buck will call ESPN’s historic first two Super Bowls after the 2026 and 2030 NFL seasons. But there’s also an intriguing player in the mix: Creative Artists Agency.
The powerhouse talent agency now represents both Aikman and Buck, say sources. Since its founding over 50 years ago, CAA has mastered the art of packaging talent, shows, and properties it represents. With two Super Bowls on the line, CAA will be able to package Aikman and Buck—and potentially drive a very high price for the pair. Flanked by sideline reporters Lisa Salters and Laura Rutledge, the duo are set to kick off their fifth season of MNF with Broncos at Chiefs on Sept. 14. Last year, MNF averaged 16.5 million viewers across 23 games, up 10%. It was the second most-watched season in ESPN’s 20-year history with the iconic primetime franchise.
But the clock is ticking. Aikman and Buck’s current contracts are set to expire after they call Super Bowl LXI at SoFi Stadium in Southern California on Feb. 14. The 59-year-old Aikman is entering the last season of his original five-year, $90 million deal with ESPN that pays him over $18 million a year. The 57-year-old Buck in the final season of his five-year, $75 million deal that pays $15 million a year. The stakes are high for all involved.
In my book, Aikman and Buck—who have each been inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame—are the best NFL broadcast duo in the biz. They called six Super Bowls together at Fox before even joining ESPN in 2022. That’s more than any team besides the legendary John Madden and Pat Summerall.
Plus, ESPN had a difficult time finding the right MNF booth for years. The nadir came in 2018 when ex-Cowboys star Jason Witten struggled on-air while poor Booger McFarland was exiled to the late, unlamented “Boogermobile.” A hapless Witten was one and done. McFarland lasted two seasons. ESPN then tried Brian Griese, Louis Riddick, and Steve Levy as a bridge MNF booth. That didn’t last either.
Enter ESPN boss Jimmy Pitaro. The swashbuckling chairman transformed MNF overnight by raiding rival Fox Sports to steal both Aikman and Buck. Over the last four seasons, they’ve delivered the chemistry and gravitas that ESPN was long seeking. In fact, Aikman is one of the only color commentators with the pedigree and chops to call out coaches, refs, and players. Privately, ESPN executives are delighted that their MNF booth has gone from “worst to first” among NFL media partners.
ESPN’s pending Super Bowl telecast—which will be simulcast on sister broadcast network ABC—will also highlight a critical period for parent company Disney. Over a two-month time frame in early 2027, Disney networks will air the Super Bowl, College Football Playoffs, the Grammy Awards, and the Academy Awards. On Wednesday, Disney Advertising said it has already sold out its advertising inventory for Super Bowl LXI. The big game is attracting 58 brands across 34 product categories, including nine first-time advertisers for the big game.
ESPN brass, such as president of content Burke Magnus, is said to be over the moon that Buck and Aikman will be behind the mic for their first-ever Super Bowl. The Worldwide Leader may be a newcomer to the Big Game, but ESPN knows it has the longest-tenured broadcast team in NFL TV history to lead the charge. There will also be an alternate “ManningCast” of the Super Bowle with Peyton and Eli Manning, plus, a possible Pat McAfee Field-Cast. During Disney’s upfront presentation, Rutledge said ESPN wants to break Fox’s record for most-watched Super Bowl ever (127.71 million viewers for Eagles-Chefs in 2025). “ESPN is obsessing about every last detail of the Super Bowl. Except for Buck and Aikman,” says one source. “They’re the rock.”
Then again, anything can happen in talent negotiations. Back in 2022, Aikman’s $18 million matched Tony Romo for the highest salary among NFL commentators. But Tom Brady quickly obliterated that standard with his monster 10-year, $375 million deal worth $37.5 million a year. What if Aikman wants to double his current salary and get Brady money? Then there’s the NFL. Aikman clearly enjoyed his consulting gig advising the Dolphins. He’s publicly mused about serving as a team general manager or president.
Still, my sources say there’s mutual interest to getting a deal done on both sides. Both Aikman and Buck have said they’re happy at ESPN.
“At some point I’ll walk away; hopefully it’s my decision whenever that time comes,” said Aikman on the Sports Media with Richard Deitsch podcast. “But for right now, I’m really enjoying my time at ESPN. I love working with Joe. I love the people I work with. It’s been a lot of fun. I don’t see the end coming anytime soon.”
Buck said he’d love to finish his career with the four letters. His wife Michelle Beisner-Buck also works for ESPN as a features reporter.
“If you reached through my computer screen right now and handed me a contract to continue my time at ESPN, I would sign it without even looking at it,” Buck told Deitsch. “I’ve loved every second of it and I am hopeful that I’m at ESPN for the rest of my career. That’s as plain as I can say it and as honest as I can say it and maybe it’s stupid of me to say. If something gets thrown at me and I have to shift, I’ll shift. But I would be hopeful to stay right where I am until I’m finished.”
Reached by FOS, ESPN declined to comment on Buck and Aikman’s negotiations.
