ESPN’s impending acquisition of Troy Aikman could expand to include his longtime partner Joe Buck.
The New York Post reported Wednesday that Buck is “atop” ESPN’s list to serve as the play-by-play voice alongside Aikman on Monday Night Football. Buck is entering the final year of his FOX contract and is currently slated to call next season’s Super Bowl for the network.
Should ESPN fail in its pursuit of Buck, the network is also said to remain interested in Al Michaels. Steve Levy is the incumbent.
Though not yet official, Aikman’s move to ESPN is such a foregone conclusion that the Post has obtained the contract details — a five-year deal in excess of $90 million, or a slightly higher annual salary ($18M+) than Tony Romo makes in his famously-lucrative deal with CBS ($17M).
Whether or not Buck joins Aikman, next season is guaranteed to feature four new lead NFL broadcast teams, barring any changes of heart: NBC (Mike Tirico replacing Michaels); ESPN (Aikman’s addition being the first change and almost certainly not the last); FOX (losing Aikman and potentially Buck); and new Thursday night rightsholder Amazon (long in the mix for Michaels and Aikman and now potentially in line to miss out on both).
The level of turnover — highly unusual for a single offseason — could trigger even more surprises. Per the Post, both FOX and Amazon are interested in pursing NBC’s Drew Brees. Previous reporting indicated that networks were interested in Rams coach Sean McVay, whose future with the Super Bowl champions has been questioned for weeks.
[News from NYP 2.24]
