Troy Aikman is reportedly headed to ESPN next season to be the lead analyst on “Monday Night Football”, according to the New York Post’s Andrew Marchand.
The deal is not complete, but it is expected to be done soon. Aikman’s contract is reportedly for five years, and is supposed to be near the $17.5 million contract that Tony Romo has with CBS.
Aikman was also being considered for Amazon’s analyst role for Thursday night games, where he could have paired with legendary broadcaster Al Michaels.
Wednesday’s report also noted Michaels has been consistent about wanting Aikman as his partner. Michaels has not finalized any deals for next season, but he will not be staying at NBC.
Aikman has worked with Joe Buck for Fox’s football coverage since the 2002 season. It’s unclear who will replace Aikman alongside Buck next season. Aikman previously hinted that the NFC championship would most likely be his final game working with Fox.
ESPN’s current MNF broadcast features Steve Levy as the play-by-play announcer, with Louis Riddick and Brian Griese serving as analysts. There has not been any updates about Riddick and Griese’s future with ESPN as of Wednesday night. However, ESPN is set to expand their annual game count from 18 to 25.
There has already been speculation regarding who will replace Aikman on Fox. Buck is in his final year with Fox, and he could be paired with one of Greg Olsen, Sean McVay, Tom Brady and Drew Brees, per Marchand.
