Troy Aikman Discusses ESPN Contract Situation, 'Monday Night Football' Status Amid Rumors on Future

Dallas Cowboys legend Troy Aikman may have tipped his hand as to his future on the Monday Night Football broadcast.

During an appearance on 96.7 The Ticket in Dallas (via Joseph Hoyt of the Dallas Morning News), Aikman addressed a report from Front Office Sports' Ryan Glasspiegel about "tension" between him and longtime broadcast partner Joe Buck.

"There's probably a time and a place for all that. I don't know if now is the time," Aikman said. "I don't know if it's hard to figure out kind of what happened. 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."

Whether intentional or not, the retired quarterback seemingly revealed a lot while trying to avoid addressing his long-term status directly. He doesn't sound like somebody who's imminently planning to sign a new contract after Buck already did.

Aikman began his broadcasting career with Fox in 2001, the year after his playing career ended. He started working alongside Buck in 2002, and they jumped ship together for ESPN and Monday Night Football in 2022.

According to Glasspiegel, Aikman's contract is at the heart of the discord: "There has been unspoken tension between the partners that one has a new contract while the other, Aikman, has not received a formal offer."

Beyond the financial component, this could be a byproduct of Aikman and Buck working together for so long. Maybe they're ready for a change after more than 20 years.

ESPN spent big in order to bring some stability to its MNF broadcast after years of turnover. Now, it might be back in search of a lead color commentator.