ESPN hand Joe Buck mammoth new $108m deal to call NFL games… but longtime partner Troy Aikman remains unsigned
ESPN’s lead NFL commentator Joe Buck has reportedly agreed to a new six-year contract with the network worth a mammoth $108 million.
It means Buck will continue to be the voice of ‘Monday Night Football’ into the 2030s and will call the network’s second Super Bowl in 2031. According to The Athletic, his annual salary is rising from $15m to $18m.
Buck, 57, and longtime partner Troy Aikman, who left Fox together to join ESPN in 2022, will be behind the mic when ESPN finally broadcasts the NFL’s biggest game at the end of this season.
While Buck’s future is tied down, ESPN is yet to hand former Dallas Cowboys quarterback Aikman a new deal.
The three-time Super Bowl champion’s five-year, $90m contract ends after the Super Bowl in February.
Buck and Aikman started their 25th season together, making them the longest-running commentary team in NFL history, with the Kansas City Chiefs’ win over the Denver Broncos on Monday night.
Joe Buck has reportedly agreed to a new six-year contract at ESPN worth a mammoth $108m
Buck, pictured with daughter Natalie and twin sons Blake and Wyatt, will call two Super Bowls
‘With this historic season for ESPN now underway, our entire focus is on bringing fans the best possible football coverage, culminating with our first Super Bowl,’ ESPN executive vice president of communications, Josh Krulewitz, said.
‘To that end, we won’t be addressing talent contract specifics publicly before the Super Bowl.’
During his tenure at Fox, Buck also called a record 24 World Series. ESPN chief Jimmy Pitaro is reportedly desperate to snatch those rights away when they come up for grabs in 2029.
If they can, Pitaro is said to have told Buck he would want him back behind the mic for the conclusion to the baseball season. However, his new contract does not contain a provision for that.
Buck also appears on other Disney-owned products, too. He guest-hosted ‘Good Morning America’ on ABC and fronted a sports version of iconic quiz show ‘Jeopardy’.
While Buck’s new contract is substantial, it is still significantly less than the $21m-a-year that ESPN pays Stephen A. Smith. Pat McAfee is also in talks with the network for a remarkable $65m-a-year contract.
