The divisional round barely had time to breathe, and now we’re already staring at conference championship weekend. It’s exciting, no doubt. But it also comes with a small reminder that the season is winding down. And with that, another broadcasting year in the booth has wrapped up for Troy Aikman on ESPN.

Aikman marked the moment on Instagram.

“That’s a wrap in the booth!” Aikman wrote, reposting a story alongside his MNF colleagues.

It really has been a wild 2026 postseason so far. Last weekend gave us the kind of games that leave you sitting forward on the couch. At this point, it’s hard to imagine the season topping itself. Still, as much as everyone waits all year for this stretch, there’s a familiar question that sneaks in once Monday rolls around: Is there any NFL football on tonight?

The answer, unfortunately, is no. Monday Night Football is officially done for the season. Last week was it. There’s no sneaky finale this week, and there won’t be another Monday game for the rest of the playoff schedule.

The reasoning is pretty straightforward. Divisional and conference playoff games are played on Saturday and Sunday, and the league isn’t about to give one conference championship team extra rest while another has to turn around on a short week after playing Monday night. From a competitive standpoint, it makes sense.

It also means we won’t be hearing Aikman and Joe Buck together again until next fall. Over the years, Aikman has built a reputation for saying exactly what he sees, especially when it comes to officiating. You hear it almost every week, the blunt honesty, the lack of sugarcoating. That tone has become part of what makes Monday nights feel different.

“I never try to make anything personal,” Aikman said. “I do try to be honest, and I don’t think I’m the Lone Ranger in that regard. I think everybody tries to be honest. But there are a lot of times when that’s difficult. The biggest thing that I try to do is I try to be fair. There’s that fan who’s sitting at home that has a real vested interest in their team and wants to see them win.”

Yes, the MNF broadcast will be back next season. But what does Troy Aikman’s future at ESPN look like?

Broadcasting isn’t Troy Aikman’s dream

Joe Buck and Troy Aikman have been attached at the hip in NFL booths for two decades now. In 2022, they made the jump together, signing multiyear deals to become the voices of Monday Night Football on ESPN. Aikman has handled the analyst role there since the move.

But despite all that, it doesn’t sound like he views that chair as the final stop in his football life. During an appearance on the Sports Business Radio podcast, Aikman was pretty open about something he’s been thinking about for a while: working for a team on the football side.

“I’m not opposed to hard work…it’s not so much the hours that would be involved, it’s more about at my age currently, there would be a learning curve,” Aikman said. Would an organization be willing to allow that to happen? It’s a young man’s game, it’s a young man’s world. I do feel like I could be a real asset to an organization.”

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The manifestation worked. Early in 2026, the Miami Dolphins brought the Hall of Fame quarterback into the building as a consultant during their general manager search. The role was temporary. Aikman wasn’t running the show, but was there to advise ownership and help shape the process.

That assignment wrapped up once Jon-Eric Sullivan was hired as the Dolphins’ new GM. From the start, it was never meant to be a long-term gig. Still, it felt telling. Aikman got a taste of what life on the executive side looks like, and it didn’t scare him off.

“I do not see myself doing this at 70 years old,” Aikman said. “Not because I couldn’t do it, not because I wouldn’t still be enjoying it. But I have not had falls off since I was a kid. There’s just things that I want to be able to go do and things I want to see before my time on earth is done.

For now, he’s still on Monday nights. But executive jobs in the NFL aren’t part-time hobbies. If Aikman truly wants that path, it would eventually mean stepping away from the booth. He hasn’t done that yet. But it’s clear the door is open, and he’s at least looking through it.