After spending two decades as a top NFL analyst for Fox Sports, Hall of Fame quarterback Troy Aikman is planning to take his talent to a different broadcast booth next season. According to a New York Post report, Aikman will become ESPN's analyst for "Monday Night Football" in 2022, in a move that drastically alters the league's broadcasting landscape.
Aikman's deal is reportedly five years in length, and his salary will come close to Tony Romo's with CBS Sports ($17.5 million per year). With Aikman leaving Fox -- he joined the network in 2001 -- one of the top analyst roles is up for grabs. But what does this all mean for Fox's top play-by-play voice Joe Buck? Could he also leave, and reunite with his longtime partner in the ESPN booth? Andrew Marchand, who broke the Aikman news, believes it's a possibility.
"I think Joe Buck could follow Troy Aikman to ESPN and continue their team. They've been together for 20 years," Marchand told the Maggie and Perloff show on Friday. "I think ESPN will have to throw a boatload of money at him, that's the first thing. Two, he loves working with Aikman. Three, the thing he wouldn't be doing if he went to ESPN that he does at Fox is the World Series. Even if he stays at Fox, I don't think he's going to be doing that a lot longer..."
Buck, who joined Fox nearly three decades ago, has called six Super Bowls for the network. His contract expires a year from now, and according to the report from Marchand, Fox would have to grant Buck permission if he wants to leave ahead of time. Perhaps the most interesting wrinkle to this situation is that Fox will carry two of the next three Super Bowls.
If Aikman does receive a Romo-range salary from ESPN, he'll actually make more cash than he did in 12 seasons as quarterback for the Dallas Cowboys. From 1989 to 2000, the former first-overall pick earned a total of $55 million. ESPN/ABC is slated to carry Super Bowl 61 (2027) and Super Bowl 65 (2031).
The entire conversation between Marchand and Maggie and Perloff can be accessed in the audio player above.
You can follow the Maggie and Perloff Show on Twitter @MaggieandPerl and Tom Hanslin @TomHanslin.