Troy Aikman has been with ESPN since joining the network in 2022. His current contract runs through the network’s Super Bowl coverage in February 2027, and he has no new deal in place.
Cowboys owner Jerry Jones has said he “could and would” hire Aikman for a front office job. That has fans linking the Hall of Fame quarterback to a return, and it has drawn a blunt warning from Nate Newton.
3-times Super Bowl winner warns Troy Aikman
Newton, who won three Super Bowls alongside Aikman, said on the Cowboys Country Football podcast that the Cowboys’ top brass operates as a dictatorship rather than a committee.
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Oct 20, 2025; Detroit, Michigan, USA; ESPN broadcaster Troy Aikman before the game between the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and the Detroit Lions at Ford Field. Mandatory Credit: David Reginek-Imagn Images
“Ownership would eventually clash with Troy. You got to understand, Troy has one tree; that’s the Jimmy Johnson tree. … Troy loved every aspect of who Jimmy was and how he’d done things that meant ‘I control everything.’ That ain’t happening with Mr. Jones. That ain’t happened with Stephen Jones. That ain’t going to happen. Miss Charlotte Jones. That ain’t going to happen with Jerry Junior,” Newton said.
“So, Troy, I ain’t going to tell you where to sit your way in. But I’m telling you, try another team. That’s what I’m saying. Try another team… This ain’t going to be no committee, bro. This is going to be straight up, not a democracy, but dictatorship.”
Aikman himself isn’t sure what comes next. Asked by Dallas journalist Tim Cowlishaw whether he expects to be calling NFL games in 2027, he put the odds at 50-50. After a quarter century in broadcasting, his next chapter is a real toss-up between the booth and a Cowboys front office that Newton says would be a bad fit.
Troy Aikman and Joe Buck snap at each other for ESPN contract
The reported conversation between Troy Aikman and Joe Buck. The argument happened on October 12, 2026, before the Bills-Rams Monday Night Football game at SoFi Stadium. The two had barely spoken off-air for weeks.
Aikman had been cold and distant toward Buck because he felt betrayed over the secret contract extension. “You are not going to f—ing talk to me?” Joe Buck snapped first. “I’m not the reason you don’t have a contract,” Buck continued.
“I just never thought you’d do it to me,” Aikman replied. “They got rid of them because you were screaming at them.” Buck delivered the last blow.
In May 2026, ESPN quietly signed Joe Buck to a new six-year deal worth about $108 million. The deal included a raise and kept Buck at the network through 2031 or 2032. Troy Aikman’s contract ends after the Super Bowl in February 2027. ESPN did not offer him a new deal at the same time. Buck, ESPN, and their shared agency (CAA) did not tell Aikman about Buck’s extension for months.
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