Report: Troy Aikman Expected to Sign 5-Year Contract with ESPN as MNF Lead Analyst

Troy Aikman will continue working television broadcasts for some of the biggest games of the NFL season. It just might not be with Fox Sports in 2022.

The New York Post's Andrew Marchand reported Aikman is expected to join ESPN on a five-year deal that would see him move to Monday Night Football. Marchand added that his contract is "expected to approach or exceed" Tony Romo's 10-year, $180 million pact with CBS Sports.

The deal is reportedly near completion.

Romo's massive payout underlines how it's a good time to work in NFL broadcasting. His CBS contract will exceed his career earnings in the NFL ($127.4 million).

The major players (ESPN, NBC, Fox and CBS) were jostling to get one up on the competition, and the arrival of Amazon Prime Video as an NFL media partner has accelerated the arms race.

Front Office Sports' Michael McCarthy reported in November that Amazon was looking to poach both Aikman and Al Michaels, the latter of whom is the play-by-play announcer for Sunday Night Football.

Addressing the rumors with Sports Illustrated's Jimmy Traina, Aikman acknowledged that he'd "maybe" be interested in signing on for Amazon's Thursday Night Football coverage.

The Hall of Famer added he was entertaining the idea of working with Fox and Amazon simultaneously. Fox was the carrier of Thursday Night Football from 2018 to 2021, so it wouldn't be a departure from what was the norm for Aikman.

Aligning with ESPN would presumably take Amazon off the table for the 55-year-old.

Interestingly, Marchand also noted ESPN could make a run at Joe Buck, who have called games together on Fox for years. Buck's contract reportedly expires next year, which means Fox would have to grant him permission if he were to want to leave early.