Earlier this NFL season, ESPN gave Joe Buck a massive contract extension, with a sizable raise, to keep him as the voice of Monday Night Football through the early 2030s. Curiously, the network did not extend a similar offer to Buck's partner and Pro Football Hall of Famer, Troy Aikman, whose contract runs out at the conclusion of the 2026 NFL season
. Buck and Aikman will call this February's Super Bowl 61 for ESPN and ABC.That distinction apparently sparked some recent bickering between the long-time announcing duo that has been working together for a quarter-century, dating all the way back to their days with Fox.
According to Ryan Glasspiegel of Front Office Sports, Buck reportedly tried to make peace with Aikman over their respective contract
situations before the two called the Buffalo Bills' matchup with the Los Angeles Rams this past Monday night. Buck's gesture, whatever it was, was not received well. The announcing pair then wound up arguing during their pregame preparations. Woof.
More from Front Office Sports:
On Monday night, before the Rams took on the Bills at SoFi Stadium, the site of this season’s Super Bowl, Buck “broke the ice” on this unspoken tension, and he and Aikman had an argument, a source said. It ultimately de-escalated, and the two had a broadcast in which viewers never would have been able to decipher that something was amiss.
Of course, while Buck appears set to be one of ESPN's most important broadcast voices, it's unclear how the network views Aikman. After all, just because he doesn't have a new contract now doesn't mean he won't stay with the network moving forward beyond 2026. Still, hanging Aikman out to dry for the time being probably and understandably isn't being received well by the color commentator. Buck and Aikman have a lot of chemistry, and it would be a shame to see them split up now.
The only thing that seems certain in this awkward situation is that Aikman didn't appreciate whatever Buck did to seemingly try to make his announcing partner feel better about the situation.
This article originally appeared on For The Win: Joe Buck and Troy Aikman reportedly bickered over their ESPN contract situations
