Troy Aikman is involved in one of the most high-profile NFL broadcasting dramas of the NFL season, as his contract standoff with ESPN – not to mention his feud with longtime partner and friend Joe Buck – has become one of the talking points of the season.
And Aikman keeps talking about it, even if it's in veiled terminology. The latest case came on Dallas Cowboys insider Mike Fisher's YouTube show over the weekend before he and Buck call the Cowboys' "Monday Night Football" contest against the Philadelphia Eagles on Oct. 26.
Fisher asked Aikman if he felt like broadcasting was in his blood, and the three-time Super Bowl winner said he believed so.
“Yeah, I would say it is. When I started, I really felt that I would do it a couple years – never
had any interest in going into television and it was just by happenstance I got into it," Aikman said.
Twenty-five years later, Aikman is in the final year of his five-year deal with ESPN that he signed in 2022 to become the lead analyst for "MNF." Buck joined him shortly thereafter at the "Worldwide Leader" to continue their partnership that dates back to 2002.
Front Office Sports reported that Buck and Aikman got into a shouting match before the Oct. 12 Los Angeles Rams-Buffalo Bills "MNF" matchup.
"As I'm into my last year at ESPN, I'm realizing that this is something that could very well be taken away from me," Aikman told Fisher. "For the first time, I'm realizing how much I really do – I've always enjoyed it. I've always known that. But until you risk having something taken away from you, I think sometimes you tend to maybe take things for granted.
"And so, for the first time probably in my career, I'm realizing, you know, this is a great profession. It's been a great ride for me, and I hope it's not over. Time will tell."
Buck and Aikman will call the Super Bowl for the first time since February 2020 – if the pair makes it to Feb. 14, 2027. The NFL said at last week's owners' meeting that it's not concerned with the public beef.
"I'm excited about what the rest of this year holds, and I'm excited to finally get back into the booth for a Super Bowl," Aikman told Fisher.
"I'm still young. I feel great," Aikman said. "I do feel there's another frontier."
Aikman owns a light beer company called "Eight Beer" and has also done consulting work for the Miami Dolphins.
Aikman also said it would be difficult to not look into an opportunity with the Cowboys if he could have some influence and owner and general manager Jerry Jones determined that he could lend valuable services to the organization.
"I still believe it could very well be something else," Aikman said of his future. "And what that might be, like, I'm not talking in code by any means. I'm not real sure.
"Maybe it's a continuation of broadcasting with some other network, which would be exciting to me. Maybe it's doing some work with an organization. I really enjoyed the time that I spent with the Miami Dolphins this past offseason. Maybe there could be something there if nothing comes about in broadcasting. Or who knows what might happen. But, for the first time, I'm kinda open for business, and I'm looking forward to figuring out what those options might be."
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Troy Aikman says broadcasting could be 'taken away from me' amid ESPN uncertainty
