Hall of Fame Quarterback and ESPN/ABC Monday Night Football analyst Troy Aikman made some waves Thursday morning by clearly giving the impression that he is I plan to leave after his current contract expires, following Super Bowl LXI.
Aikman expanded on his remarks with Jimmy Traina of Underscore Media.
“It seems that’s where they’re going – that they will go in a different direction because there have been no discussions, no contract negotiations,” Aikman told Traina. “We’re in a Super Bowl year. The Super Bowl will take place on February 14. My contract ends in March. It just doesn’t seem logical that if they kept me, something wouldn’t be in place before then.
The most recent quotes create a window for ESPN to continue attempting to extend Aikman. He didn’t say the door was closed from his point of view; he said he felt it was closed from a business perspective. Officially, he won’t close until his contract expires and he becomes a free agent.
Traina also asked Aikman if he thought it would be difficult to finish the year, given his impression that ESPN won’t try to keep him.
“The rest of the season will go well,” Aikman said. “I’m excited. I’m looking forward to it. It’s great that we won the Super Bowl. It’s no problem at all.”
In his latest comments, Aikman did not address the issue voltage ratio with his longtime broadcast partner, Joe Buck, or the claim that they recently argued over the fact that Buck signed a five-year extension while Aikman was, by all appearances, out.
Whether or not this is posturing by Aikman, all other potential suitors now know he’s in play. Which will be a factor in the looming game of broadcasters’ musical chairs, with ESPN, CBS and Prime Video all potentially looking to land one of the big names.
Aikman is one of the biggest football broadcasters. He’s been on a No. 1 team for a long time and he could instantly be at the top of the wish list of other networks looking for a new lead NFL analyst.
Gn sports
