Topic overview
In brief
- Joe Buck and Troy Aikman are entering the final months of their contracts with ESPN.
- They have been the voices of Monday Night Football for four seasons and will start their fifth season on September 14, 2026.
- ESPN faces a significant decision on whether to renew their contracts as they prepare for their first Super Bowl broadcast.
Summary
In the United States, ESPN is currently in a critical phase regarding its NFL commentary team, particularly Joe Buck and Troy Aikman. As of August 2026, both announcers are approaching the end of their contracts, which has raised concerns about their future with the network. Buck and Aikman have been the voices of Monday Night Football for four seasons and are set to begin their fifth season on September 14, 2026, when the Kansas City Chiefs face the Denver Broncos. Their partnership has been well-received, and they have a history of calling six Super Bowls together while at Fox, with plans to call a seventh at Super Bowl LXI in February 2027, which will be broadcast by ESPN for the first time.
Troy Aikman, a former NFL quarterback who won three Super Bowls with the Dallas Cowboys, signed a lucrative five-year, $90 million deal with ESPN in 2022, making him one of the highest-paid commentators in the league. Joe Buck, who has been a prominent play-by-play announcer, is nearing the end of his five-year, $75 million contract, which pays him $15 million annually. The impending Super Bowl broadcast on ESPN adds pressure to the network to retain its star commentators, as they are crucial to the network's NFL coverage.