ESPN has taken Troy Aikman and Joe Buck, sports broadcasting icons from Fox Sports, to become the new faces of ESPN. “Monday Night Football,”ESPN announced Wednesday.
Buck and Aikman signed a multiyear agreement where they will both call ESPN games as well as provide content for ESPN+. We will soon have more details about their agreement with ESPN+.
After reporting for the New York Post in the last few weeks that Aikman and Buck were planning to leave Fox Sports, the departures of both Aikman & Buck are now official. ESPN didn’t confirm the terms of this deal. The Athletic reported that Aikman’s deal with ESPN would be for $92.5 million over five years, or $18.5 million annually. The New York Post additionally said that Buck’s deal would be in the $60-75 million range over five years, adding that Fox tried to keep Buck with an offer of $12 million per year.
Both will start their respective “MNF”Their 21st season together in the booth will be the 2022-2023 NFL Season, when ESPN’s tenure began. Actually, this partnership will match Pat Summerall and John Madden’s all-time record for NFL partners on-air.
Lisa Salters will join Buck and Aikman on the occasion. “Monday Night Football,”She will be returning as a sideline reporter to the broadcast for her 11th season. John Parry will once again be the officiating analyst.
Buck and Aikman’s regular-season “Monday Night Football” debut is set for September 12, 2022, beginning the longstanding television series’ 53rd season. Jimmy Platt and Phil Dean will both return to the role of producer and director for their third- and fourth seasons. The same night, “Monday Night Football with Peyton”Eli will be returning for a second series.
ESPN’s poaching of both Buck and Aikman is a huge coup in the sports media world, with Buck and Aikman having called over 300 games and six Super Bowls. It also suggests that Fox’s World Series coverage will have a new voice calling games for the first time in decades. And while it’s unclear what projects Buck may take on for ESPN+, it could be an opportunity for Buck to take on passion projects involving different docuseries and contribute in other ways to ESPN at large.
Aikman and Buck joined Fox as part of an unusual trio in 2002. Coincidentally, that shift took place because the late John Madden had requested to be let out of the final year of his contract with Fox in order to join ABC’s “Monday Night Football” team.
“Everything about ‘Monday Night Football,’ including the broadcast, set the standard for the modern NFL experience. My earliest memories of walking around football stadiums are tagging along with my dad as he called ‘Monday Night Football’ on radio,”Joe Buck stated this in a statement. “To return to the stadium on Monday nights with Troy – who I have the utmost comfort with and confidence in – and begin a new chapter, for us and ESPN, has me excited about this season and our future.”
“The opportunity to be a voice on ‘Monday Night Football,’ adding to its legacy and being a part of the future of the NFL on ESPN, has me motivated and reflective. As a kid in California, the voices of Frank Gifford, Howard Cosell, and my mom’s personal favorite, Don Meredith, echoed throughout our living room each week,”Troy Aikman stated. “Joe and I are humbled to be part of that same tradition that has existed for more than 50 years across generations of football fans. I am looking forward to the next several years with ESPN and all our new teammates.”
“When you have the opportunity to bring in the iconic, longest-running NFL broadcasting duo, you take it, especially at a time when we are on the cusp of a new era in our expanding relationship with the NFL,”Chairman, ESPN and Sports Content Jimmy Pitaro stated in a statement. “The NFL continues to ascend, and we now have more games than ever before, providing additional opportunities for Joe, Troy and our deep roster of commentators.”