Joe Buck was one of the beneficiaries of a major rise in NFL broadcaster salaries in recent years, and it sounds like he knows who to thank.
Buck moved from FOX to ESPN in the offseason for a reported $75M over five years, with partner Troy Aikman getting $90M over the same period. Those deals come on the heels of Tony Romo’s $17M extension with CBS in 2020, a contract that essentially reset the market for NFL broadcaster salaries.
In an appearance on “The Marchand and Ourand Sports Media Podcast” this week, Buck shared a hilarious story about an encounter he had with Romo at the annual American Century Championship celebrity pro-am tournament in July.
“All I know is I saw Romo at the Tahoe golf tournament. I’m eating dinner with the guy that I brought there to caddie,” Buck said. “[Romo] walks by and all he says is, ‘you’re welcome,’ and then he kept walking.”
Romo has a point. It’s highly unlikely that Buck and Aikman get anywhere near as much money as they did if Romo didn’t push for and get the contract he received from CBS. In fact, Romo is probably owed an even bigger thank-you by one future NFL broadcaster who will be making even more money.
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