Troy Aikman contract details emerge as ESPN deal becomes official

There will be a lot of new faces in broadcast booths in 2022. As we have been reporting, former Dallas Cowboys quarterback Troy Aikman has been working on a deal with ESPN for a few weeks now. Last week, New York Post’s Andrew Marchand also reported that Aikman’s broadcast partner, Joe Buck, may be headed to ESPN as well. While the deals were all but solidified, ESPN didn’t make the news official until Wednesday morning.

After several years of FOX poaching talent from ESPN (Erin Andrews, Tom Rinaldi, Jason Whitlock, Colin Cowherd, etc), ESPN has now taken the network’s top broadcasting duo. Aikman and Buck have been FOX’s No. 1 team for over 20 years. The two only rank behind the late John Madden and Pat Summerall in longevity as a pair. The two have called six Super Bowls together and will call their seventh when ESPN broadcasts its first Super Bowl on the network in 2027.

While Marchand and others initially reported that Aikman would make $92.5 million, the official deal is five years for $90 million. Here’s a crazy stat that puts this into perspective. As the Cowboys quarterback, Aikman made only (only is of course a relative term) $55 million combined for 12 seasons of professional football. Mind-blowing. Buck is set to make about $65 million on a five-year deal.

Here’s what Jimmy Pitaro, ESPN’s chairman of sports content, said about the huge deal:

"“When you have the opportunity to bring in the iconic, longest-running NFL broadcasting duo, you take it, especially at a time when we are on the cusp of a new era in our expanding relationship with the NFL. The NFL continues to ascend, and we now have more games than ever before, providing additional opportunities for Joe, Troy, and our deep roster of commentators.”"

Cowboys legend Troy Aikman set to make $90 million for five years as ESPN deal with Joe Buck becomes official

Aikman and Buck will get to explore a new day of football. The two have been the main faces of FOX’s Sunday broadcasts and also handled “Thursday Night Football” when FOX had the rights to it. The pair will now take over Monday nights and will also be producing content for ESPN+. ESPN has long struggled to find an excellent broadcast team for “Monday Night Football.” Aikman and Buck will be the most high-profile team in the booth on Mondays since the Howard Cosell, Frank Gifford, and Don Meredith era.

Both broadcasters took to social media to express their excitement for the change of scenery. Here is what Aikman had to say:

"“The opportunity to be a voice on Monday Night Football, adding to its legacy and being a part of the future of the NFL on ESPN, has me motivated and reflective. As a kid in California, the voices of Frank Gifford, Howard Cosell, and my mom’s personal favorite, Don Meredith, echoed throughout our living room each week."

FOX has yet to comment on the move. As for what FOX will do to fill the void, Greg Olson, Sean Payton, and Kevin Burkhardt are favorites to fill in. Whoever is called upon will definitely have big shoes to fill.