When NFL legend Tom Brady became a minority stake owner of the Las Vegas Raiders in 2024 after joining Fox Sports as a lead analyst in 2022, there were concerns around a conflict of interest and competitive biasness around Brady. A similar situation has befallen Troy Aikman as the former NFL star and veteran broadcaster heads into the 2026 season.

Aikman, who is a lead commentator of Monday Night Football (MNF) for ESPN, recently made an appearance on the Dallas Dialogue with Dale show, where he asked if anyone from the broadcasting network has any concerns about backlash around his ESPN role and influential capacity role with the Miami Dolphins.

“Well, the Dolphins are not expected to be very good this year,” Aikman said. “They’re getting out of cap hell, and so there’s no Monday Night game with the Dolphins this year. But I’ve talked to the commissioner, and he’s fine with what I’m doing and my role. But I think that anyone that’s behind a mic that’s calling a game, there’s a conflict of interest because you have relationships in this business.

“I’ve been doing it for 25 years, and I have friendships every week that I call a game, whether it’s a head coach or an offensive coordinator or a player, whoever it is. So I would argue that every broadcaster has a conflict when they’re calling a game.”

Like Aikman, even Brady responded to these comments on conflict of interest. For Brady, the role was much more important. Being an owner of the team and working with Fox brought its own level of criticism. But the seven-time Super Bowl champion responded well.

“When you live through uncertain and untrusting times like we are today, it is very easy to watch a person’s passions and profession intersect, and to believe you’re looking at some sort of dilemma. Because when you’re blinded by distrust, it’s hard to see anything other than self-interest,” Brady wrote in his newsletter in 2025.

Troy Aikman serves as a front office consultant to the Miami Dolphins. He joined the franchise earlier this year in January and has played a crucial role in hiring new general manager Jon-Eric Sullivan and new head coach Jeff Hafley for the franchise.

However, with ESPN, Aikman appears on Monday Night Football games in the regular season. But as things stand, since the Dolphins are not scheduled for any MNF games, the 25-year veteran broadcaster has shrugged off the concerns around him. But why are the two-time Super Bowl winners not playing MNF games?

The NFL may have omitted the Dolphins from the 2026 primetime broadcast schedule due to low national expectations. According to NFL Vice President of Broadcast Planning and Scheduling Mike North, the league focuses its high-profile evening windows on teams expected to be highly competitive, and the Dolphins seemingly did not earn a spot this year.

First off, following a 7-10 campaign in the 2025 season that led to the firing of head coach Mike McDaniel, the franchise is undergoing a complete overhaul. On top of that, the Dolphins stripped away the core pieces such as Tua Tagovailoa, Tyreek Hill, and Jaylen Waddle that previously made them a must-watch national attraction.

However, amid that, there is a small chance Troy Aikman will call a Miami Dolphins game during the 2026 NFL season. While it is highly unlikely on their initial schedule, the late season may present that situation for Aikman. And it is due to a scheduling power that ESPN holds.

The NFL and ESPN have the authority to pull games out of Sunday afternoon slots and move them to Monday Night Football starting in Week 12. But for Aikman to broadcast a Dolphins game under this rule, Miami must surprise the league with their performances while aligning them with a marquee matchup that would have major postseason implications, making it attractive enough for ESPN to flex into primetime.

But as of now, the situation remains far from reality.