Joe Buck and Troy Aikman are going through a contract rift, putting their nearly 25-year-long broadcasting partnership in jeopardy. This feud has drawn plenty of commentary, and Hall of Famer Terry Bradshaw is one of the names who recently talked about this controversy.
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“I have talked to Buck via text and told him I don’t assume everything I’m reading is correct,” Bradshaw told Brian Kilmeade of FOX News. “And I know Troy Aikman well. They’re both real good friends of mine. And I don’t want to believe that it’s the money that Buck got that’s got Troy upset because Troy’s making big money. I’ve heard that they were going to go into ESPN together and get a new deal together. Joe evidently got his before Troy. And that seems to be the rift. It’s about money. I find that hard to believe because Troy Aikman, he’s not like that. And my understanding right now is things are OK.”
Bradshaw has been a commentator and an analyst since 1994, and has been a fan of the duo’s work over the years. His comments represented a measured defense rather than a forceful public stance, as he acknowledged uncertainty about the situation. While Bradshaw thinks everything may be fine, the reports tell a different story.
It all started with Buck signing a hefty six-year contract extension worth $108 million with ESPN. In contrast, Aikman, who was unaware of the contract Buck received, is still stuck with the 2022 contract, which was also the year when both initially signed with the network after working together at FOX Sports for over two decades.
Aikman’s contract will now end after the Super Bowl in February. The problem stems from Buck and ESPN not telling Aikman about the contract situation, which led the two to argue before Monday Night Football aired on October 12 for the Buffalo Bills-Los Angeles Rams game, as Front Office Sports reported.
“I don’t know if now is the time,” Aikman said after the report went viral. “I don’t know if it’s hard to figure out kind of what happened. 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. 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.”
Aikman reportedly felt betrayed by Buck after he decided to keep it a secret from him. But the rift between the Dallas Cowboys legend and ESPN has been forming under the surface for years, with Buck gradually becoming involved. Over the first four years with the network, the duo has cycled through five producers and directors “before finally feeling comfortable with the tandem of ESPN lifer Steve Ackles and Artie Kempner, a former Fox colleague,” according to The Athletic.
Sources familiar with Aikman’s thinking suggested he believed Buck was trying to turn the situation into a public dispute that would make him look better. Buck, however, pushed back during the conversation, making it clear that he did not believe he was responsible for Aikman’s contract situation.
“I’m not the reason you don’t have a contract,” he said.
The two reportedly also got into an argument regarding the same, with Buck confronting Aikman about not wanting to talk to him and saying that “they got rid of them because you were screaming at them.” Amid the chaos, Aikman recently appeared on 96.7 The Ticket Dallas radio station, talking about his future.
“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 said. “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.”
For now, the duo who have called six Super Bowls together ever since becoming broadcasting partners in 2002 are set to call this season’s Super Bowl as well. But given the ongoing tension, this might be the last time the duo works together on ESPN.