After years of struggling to find a consistent, top-flight team to call Monday Night Football, it appears that ESPN has poached not one, but both of Fox’s top broadcast personalities for its weekly game. New York Post sports media reporter Andrew Marchand says that Joe Buck is expected to leave his post at Fox for ESPN, where he will join his long time partner Troy Aikman.
Buck will leave Fox, his home of nearly 30 years. He has called six Super Bowls for the network, and has been the annual voice of the World Series.
On Friday afternoon, Buck’s wife Michelle Beisner-Buck, a reporter for ESPN, welcomed him to the network on Instagram.
While he has one year left on his Fox deal, worth $11 million, Marchand reports that the network is letting him walk “as a good gesture for his years of service to the company.” With salaries for top broadcasters surging since CBS signed Tony Romo to his megadeal in 2020, Buck is set to sign a five-year contract worth between $60 million and $75 million, per the report.
News of Aikman’s departure to ESPN broke in late February. His deal, per Marchand, is also five years, worth $92.5 million. The pair will replace Steve Levy, Brian Griese and Louis Riddick, who called Monday Night Football for two seasons.
Buck will also be involved in producing content for ESPN+, per the report.
