Troy Aikman Explains Why He Left Fox for ESPN (Video)

The longtime analyst switched networks alongside play-by-play partner Joe Buck earlier in the NFL offseason.

Troy Aikman will take on a new role as ESPN’s main analyst on Monday Night Football this upcoming season, but that wasn’t always the plan. 

In a recent appearance on The Marchand and Ourand Sports Media Podcast, Aikman explained he began working with Fox on a new deal, but wanted an opt-out added to his contract after receiving an initial offer from the network. When Fox showed an unwillingness to negotiate further, the former Cowboys quarterback opted to go in a different direction.

“Well, the reason I wanted the opt-out was because we couldn’t agree on what fair market value was,” Aikman said on the podcast. “And so, (Fox) made a proposal. I thought it was a good start, but there was no negotiation. That was their position and that was where they were going to land. I then said ‘O.K., I’ll take it’ but after the first year and one year only, I have the option to opt-out of the contract...

“That’s how we got to where we are, and that’s why I’m no longer at Fox.”

CLIP: Why did Troy Aikman want an opt-out from Fox, which led him to end up at ESPN?

POD: https://t.co/I1wSfLKNzE pic.twitter.com/LAM3IIVD46

— Andrew Marchand (@AndrewMarchand) August 31, 2022

Aikman had previously said on the SI Media Podcast that he didn’t even speak with his boss at Fox until he received a phone call, congratulating him on the new ESPN gig.

“I guess what’s perplexing to me is that I had no conversation with my boss until he called me to congratulate me on my contract with ESPN. So I don’t know, I guess it’s disappointing,” Aikman told Sports Illustrated’s Jimmy Traina in March. “I would’ve thought that there would’ve been a conversation at least. And then when I did talk with him, when he called to congratulate me, I just asked for an explanation on some things that I didn’t quite understand and he opted not to do that as well.”

Shortly after Aikman made the leap to ESPN, his longtime play-by-play partner Joe Buck joined him on the Monday Night Football crew. The two will usher in a new era of Monday night coverage for the network when the 2022 season kicks off in less than two weeks.

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