ESPN makes massive Joe Buck decision amid contract uncertainty

Previous reports revealed that ESPN "Monday Night Football" announcers Joe Buck and Troy Aikman were set to call games while in the final season of their existing NFL deals. 

It's now known that at least one of those two won't be going anywhere anytime soon. 

How much did it cost ESPN to hold onto Joe Buck? 

On Wednesday morning, media insider Andrew Marchand of The Athletic confirmed that ESPN and Buck have agreed to a six-year extension that is worth "in the neighborhood of $108M." Buck's previous contract was for five years and a total of $75M.

Back in 2022, Buck and Aikman left Fox Sports to make the move to ESPN. Buck first partnered with Aikman in 2002, and Buck first began serving as Fox's MLB play-by-play announcer in 1996. With 25 seasons together, Buck and Aikman are the longest-running commentary pairing in NFL history.

ESPN executive vice president of communications Josh Krulewitz said that the company "won’t be addressing talent contract specifics publicly before the Super Bowl." 

Previous whispers suggested that Buck and/or Aikman could make the jump to Amazon Prime to call "Thursday Night Football" games next year. While Buck is clearly staying put, questions about Aikman's future are up in the air after CBS benched former Dallas Cowboys quarterback Tony Romo. 

Romo is on leave "until further notice" following his July 23 arrest in Wisconsin on suspicion of operating while intoxicated. He eventually pleaded no contest to a civil charge of operating while intoxicated, and it's unclear if he will ever call another game for the network. 

What is next for Troy Aikman after Joe Buck news?

"Joining Aikman in the final season of their NFL contracts are Amazon Prime Video’s 'Thursday Night Football' crew of [Al Michaels] and Kirk Herbstreit; CBS’ No. 2 NFL game-caller Ian Eagle; Fox’s Greg Olsen; and CBS’ interim No. 1 game analyst J.J. Watt," Marchand added.

Marchand's update could lead one to believe that the 2026 season could be the last that Buck and Aikman spend together in the same booth. For now, the two will remain on track to call Super Bowl LXI, the first Super Bowl broadcast by ESPN, this coming February. ESPN also has the rights to the Super Bowl in 2031.