Troy Aikman’s future on Monday Night Football suddenly looks a lot less settled than it did before Joe Buck signed his new five-year ESPN deal.
According to Ryan Glasspiegel of Front Office Sports, there “has been tension” between Aikman and Buck, and that friction reportedly spilled into an argument at SoFi Stadium this week after Buck “broke the ice” on the subject. Buck has his new contract.
Aikman does not have an offer. That alone has turned a familiar broadcast partnership into a situation worth watching.
Aikman addressed the chatter Thursday morning during an appearance on Dallas’ 96.7 The Ticket, and he didn’t offer much in the way of a reveal.
“There’s probably a time and a place for all that. I don’t know if now is the time.
I don’t know if it’s hard to figure out kind of what happened," Aikman said, via Joseph Hoyt of the Dallas Morning News. "I’ll broadcast through this season and I’ll be a free agent at the end of the year and kind of see what happens.
"I’m looking forward to whatever the rest of this season does hold and the Super Bowl and all that and where my next landing spot may be.”
That leaves the door open on plenty of possibilities. If Aikman doesn’t stay put at Monday Night Football, it’s fair to wonder whether he keeps building out his broadcasting career or shifts back into the football world the way he did this offseason with the Miami Dolphins.
Aikman has been working in an unofficial advisory role with Dolphins owner Stephen Ross and was involved in the general manager search after the departure of Chris Grier. He helped Miami land new general manager Jon-Eric Sullivan.
That move also revived an old question for Cowboys fans: why didn’t Jerry Jones and Dallas tap one of the franchise’s biggest legends for that kind of role?
Aikman said the Cowboys never came to him.
"I think the Dolphins were wise in understanding my relationships around the league and knowing that I have information that they don't have or can't get," Aikman said. "And I think they were smart in taking advantage of that, whether it was through me or through somebody else.
"The Cowboys have never elected to do that, at least with me. Maybe they have with others, but I don't feel there's a conflict. But I will say I'm pulling for the Dolphins because now I have something at stake.”
If this really is the end of the road for Aikman and Buck together at ESPN, the next move could be the most interesting one yet. And if Aikman is headed for free agency after the season, the Cowboys may have a chance they didn’t take before.
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