It isn’t often that offseason moves in the broadcasting booth make national headlines, but with reports last week that former Cowboys quarterback-turned color analyst Troy Aikman has signed a massive deal to switch networks, the potential for a sea of changes is at hand.
Andrew Marchand of the New York Post broke the news on February 23 that ESPN had made Aikman an offer to leave Fox Sports, where he has been an analyst since retiring in 2000. The deal is rumored to be approximately $18 million per year for four years — gaudy numbers for a sportscaster, but in line with the money fellow Cowboys quarterback Tony Romo pulls in at CBS.
With Aikman gone from Fox Sports, speculation began to swirl immediately as to who would replace him in the booth for 2022. The lucrative spot will give an analyst the opportunity to call two of the next three Super Bowl games, several playoff games, and, potentially, a better slate of games during the regular season.
The five-year deal that swayed Aikman to leave Fox is reported to pay about $6 million more per year than what the former star QB was earning. He will now call “Monday Night Football” games for the world’s largest sports broadcasting company.
The big question remains who the play-by-play caller alongside Aikman will be. At Fox, Aikman worked with Joe Buck, who also calls Major League Baseball games for the network.
Aikman has said that he would like to see Buck move to ESPN with him, but that would require hurdling several obstacles, most notably the contract Buck has with Fox that keeps him on the network through the next season.
While there are several big names in play, the most likely outcome would be ESPN utilizing one of the several play-callers they already have on staff, such as Steve Levy, Louis Riddick Jr. and Brian Griese, who currently call Monday games.
Rumors also place legendary play-caller Al Michaels in the mix. Michaels’ contract with NBC ended this year, and he is expected to be a favorite to take over “Thursday Night Football” duties, now under the exclusive direction of Amazon Prime Video.
Then there are the possibilities of several big-name former coaches and players who could be in the running for a booth job. Sean Payton is one of the top options after ending his coaching career with the New Orleans Saints following the 2021 season.
Speaking with Liz Loza during media events leading up to Super Bowl LVI, Payton was asked about taking a broadcasting job, something he said he is interested in pursuing.
“I’m excited about it because look, it’s, it’s something new, and I think that that feeling, or that little bit of anxiety, is good,” Payton said. “And I’ve had a couple of visits. We’ll have a few more here, and then, you know, hopefully, something pans out because I still really want to be close to the game, and be a part of it, and then be able to talk smack on other teams and not worry about it.”
Also factoring into the discussion is former Saints quarterback Drew Brees, whose retirement contributed to Payton’s decision to call it quits in NOLA. Brees took an analyst position with NBC after retiring, where he calls Notre Dame football games and the network’s coverage of “Football Night in America” alongside Michaels, Mike Tirico, Cris Collisnworth, and Michelle Tafoya.
Other possible names that could shake things up considerably include Super Bowl-winning head coach Sean McVay, who may step away from the LA Rams sidelines and become an option for one of the major broadcasting networks. McVay has said publicly that he intends to continue coaching next season, but has also made it clear that he does not intend to be an NFL “lifer.”
With a little over six months before action returns to NFL fields, plenty of moves are possible — both on the field and above it — that would shape the way fans experience games for years to come.