Charles Barkley doesn\u2019t understand why Troy Aikman is upset at Joe Buck.<\/p>\n
ESPN gave Buck a reported six-year, $108 million contract extension<\/a> that will see him remain the voice of \u201cMonday Night Football,\u201d while Aikman says he has yet to hear from the network<\/a> regarding a new deal while his current one runs out after the Super Bowl.<\/p>\n Front Office Sports reported the two got into an argument<\/a> before the Rams-Bills game on Oct. 12, and Puck later reported that Aikman\u2019s position was \u201cYou f\u2013ked me over!\u201d<\/a><\/p>\n ESPN\/ABC Monday Night Football commentators Joe Buck, left, and Troy Aikman stand before the Detroit Lions vs. Las Vegas Raiders game at Ford Field, Monday, Oct. 30, 2023. USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect<\/p>\n One source told Puck Aikman felt it was \u201cthe ultimate act of betrayal.\u201d The two have called games together since 2002, first with Fox.<\/p>\n It all left Barkley, a longtime \u201cInside the NBA\u201d analyst, befuddled.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m very disappointed in Troy Aikman,\u201d Barkley said on 97.5 The Fanatic<\/a> last week. \u201cHonestly, it\u2019s not Joe Buck\u2019s job to get him a deal. Like, he can\u2019t tell them to give him a deal. Now if he wants to talk to Joe privately, that\u2019s fine. But why are you mad? They gave Joe a deal. It looks like they don\u2019t want to give you a deal, which they don\u2019t have to give you a deal. But you don\u2019t have to drag Joe Buck into it. Like, it ain\u2019t his job. I\u2019m pretty sure \u2014 they\u2019ve been together 25 years, I\u2019m pretty sure they love working together. But maybe they want to go in a different direction. I don\u2019t understand why you\u2019d be mad at Joe Buck. He ain\u2019t negotiating the contract.\u201d<\/p>\n Barkley brought up the fact that Aikman was the one who left Fox first<\/a> in 2022 to join ESPN, before Fox allowed Buck to leave<\/a> weeks later.<\/p>\n Aikman had an out in his Fox contract that allowed him to leave for a bigger contract. He got a five-year, $90 million deal from ESPN. Buck had a year left on his Fox deal at the time and needed permission to leave.<\/p>\n Charles Barkley during his appearance on 97.5 The Fanatic. YouTube\/97.5 The Fanatic<\/p>\n Aikman has been speaking publicly as if his time with ESPN will end after the Super Bowl, which would leave his broadcasting path unclear.<\/p>\n CBS just committed to JJ Watt<\/a> as its No. 1 game analyst alongside Jim Nantz, giving the longtime Texans star a new contract after Tony Romo left the network<\/a> following his drunk driving arrest.<\/p>\n Tom Brady and Cris Collinsworth are locked into the top gigs at Fox and NBC, respectively, while Kirk Herbstreit agreed to a new deal<\/a> to remain on Amazon\u2019s \u201cThursday Night Football,\u201d though the streamer has outs if a top target becomes available, The Athletic\u2019s Andrew Marchand reported.<\/p>\n Joe Buck, left, and Troy Aikman attend the Disney 2025 Upfront Red Carpet at North Javits Center in New York, Tuesday, May 13, 2025. Variety via Getty Images<\/p>\n It\u2019s possible Aikman decides to pursue a front-office job.<\/p>\n He was a consultant for the Dolphins during their GM and coaching searches in the offseason, though Front Office Sports reported he doesn\u2019t have a \u201cformal and ongoing agreement\u201d<\/a>\u00a0with the team.<\/p>\n \u201cThere\u2019s probably a time and a place for all that. I don\u2019t know if now is the time,\u201d Aikman said of the Buck argument<\/a> during an interview on 96.7 The Ticket on Oct. 15. \u201cI don\u2019t know if it\u2019s hard to figure out kind of what happened. I\u2019ll broadcast through this season and I\u2019ll be a free agent at the end of the year and kind of see what happens. I\u2019m looking forward to whatever the rest of this season does hold and the Super Bowl and all that and where my next landing spot may be.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Charles Barkley doesn\u2019t understand why Troy Aikman is upset at Joe Buck. 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