Joe Buck and Troy Aikman Reportedly Got Into an Argument in the Monday Night Football Booth As Tensions Flare Over Contracts

(Photo Credit: ESPN)

ESPN announcers Joe Buck and Troy Aikman got into an argument inside the Monday Night Football booth as the “unspoken tension” between the two reached a boiling point, according to a Wednesday report from Front Office Sports.

The incident happened before the Monday night game between the Buffalo Bills and Los Angeles Rams at SoFi Stadium. Journalist Ryan Glasspiegel reported the beef was due to the difference in their contract situations — Buck received a new six-year deal worth $100 million last month, while Aikman is in the final year of his contract and has not received a new offer.

“Buck ‘broke the ice’ on this unspoken tension, and he and Aikman had an argument, a source said,” Glasspiegel wrote. “It ultimately de-escalated, and the two had a broadcast in which viewers never would have been able to decipher that something was amiss.”

An ESPN spokesperson declined to comment to FOS.

The argument stands out, considering the two have been broadcast partners since 2002. Aikman – who led the Dallas Cowboys to three Super Bowl victories in the ’90s — and Buck were the top NFL announcing team for years at Fox, before moving to ESPN in 2022. They are slated to call ESPN’s first Super Bowl in February 2027.

“ESPN is playing a dangerous game of chicken by letting Aikman’s contract talks linger until after the season, as it risks signaling to him that the network is ambivalent about his return…What if Aikman leaves and Buck does not have the same excellent chemistry with his replacement?” Glasspiegel added.

He added it was not immediately clear what ESPN or Aikman would do, if the two sides cannot cut a deal. He pointed out CBS recently lost its top commentator, after ex-quarterback Tony Romo was arrested for driving under the influence. Heading to CBS and teaming up with veteran announcer Jim Nantz could be an option for Aikman, following a Super Bowl swan song with Buck.

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