Troy Aikman says ESPN seems to be going in 'different direction'
Troy Aikman sounds a lot like someone who believes the Super Bowl on Valentine's Day will be the end of his run with Joe Buck at ESPN and on Monday Night Football.
The former Dallas Cowboys quarterback has been open about not having a deal after this one expires. His broadcast partner Buck recently got a six-year, $108 million contract from ESPN.
On Thursday, Aikman added more fuel to the fire ... twice.
He spoke on a radio show in Dallas first. Later, he added stronger comments to Jimmy Traina, podcast host/writer for Underscore Media.
Aikman spoke first to 96.7 The Ticket ESPN saying, "“There’s probably a time and a place for all that,” Aikman said, via Joseph Hoyt of the Dallas Morning News. “I don’t know if now is the time. I don’t know if it’s hard to figure out kind of what happened. I’ll broadcast through this season and I’ll be a free agent at the end of the year and kind of see what happens. I’m 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.”
He then spoke with Traina, making his situation and belief quite clear.
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Here’s what Aikman said to me about ESPN: “It just seems to be where they’re going - that they’re gonna go in a different direction because there’s been no talks, no contract negotiations. We’re in a Super Bowl year. The Super Bowl is Feb. 14. My contract ends in March. It just doesn’t seem logical that if they were gonna keep me, something wouldn’t be in place before that.”
I asked Aikman if it will be tough to work the remainder of the season given that he thinks he’s gone from ESPN.
“The rest of the season will be fine. Excited about it. Looking forward to it. It’s awesome that we got the Super Bowl. Not a problem at all."
What could be next would be a step in an interesting NFL analyst carousel in the offseason. And don't forget Aikman serves as an ongoing front office consultant/advisor for the Miami Dolphins. That team is in disarray and could look to overhaul its management team if the losing continues.
This article originally appeared on Touchdown Wire: Troy Aikman says ESPN seems to be going in 'different direction'
