Joe Buck & Troy Aikman Reportedly Clashed Pregame Over ESPN Contracts

Tension is brewing inside ESPN’s flagship broadcast booth as Monday Night Football teammates Joe Buck and Troy Aikman prepare to call their first Super Bowl together for the network.

According to an exclusive report from Front Office Sports, there has been some drama between the 25-year booth partners that resulted in a pregame argument on Monday night at SoFi Stadium, right before the Los Angeles Rams hosted the Buffalo Bills, October 12.

While the pair de-escalated the dispute and were able to deliver a smooth broadcast on air, the conflict is said to stem from different contract situations.

As reported by Front Office Sports, the strain began after news surfaced that Buck had finalized a new six-year contract extension with ESPN worth approximately $108 million, securing his spot as the network’s lead NFL play-by-play voice through its next Super Bowl cycle.

Meanwhile, Aikman has yet to receive a formal contract offer from the network, leaving his future uncertain. Buck reportedly “broke the ice” regarding the situation ahead of Monday’s kickoff, which reportedly caused the argument between the two.

Joe Buck and Troy Aikman had an argument before Monday night’s Rams-Bills game over tension surrounding their ESPN contract situations, per @sportsrapport.

Buck recently agreed to a new 6-year deal worth approximately $108M, while Aikman has yet to receive an extension offer. Aikman’s contract expires after this season, and his future at ESPN remains uncertain.

The disagreement eventually de-escalated, and the two went on to call the game without viewers noticing anything unusual.

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— Ari Meirov (@MySportsUpdate) October 14, 2026

Users on social media reacted to dispute the two on various posts, including one shared by The 33rd Team’s Ari Meirov post on X. Many of them expressed their opinions on the analysts and the ordeal with the contact extensions.

One user wrote: “It’ll be a f***ing shame when ESPN doesn’t extend Aikman and we get Jason Kelce and Pat McAfee in the booth next season with Joe Buck. Trash a** network.” One user wrote, “bro thought they was a package deal,” while another commented: “I think Troy Aikman does a good job.”

Another commented, “Amazed that broadcasters are getting multi million dollar contracts. I have never, and will never, tune into a sporting event because of whose doing play by play or color analysis. Seems like a colossal waste of money…”

The situation puts ESPN in a delicate position heading into football’s biggest night. The network initially successfully lured Buck and Aikman away from Fox Sports in 2022 on five-year deals to bring stability to a Monday Night Football booth that had struggled with turnover for years. During that move, Aikman signed first while Buck joined weeks later.

In an interview with Sports Media Podcast last month, Aikman said he was unsure when things with his contract would be hashed out, though he said he would “one hundred percent” be open to continuing working with Buck in the future.