Troy Aikman Just Made a Very Honest Statement About His Future Calling NFL Games

Troy Aikman has been arguably the best in-game NFL analyst ever since he teamed up with Joe Buck way back in 2002. But his time in the booth with ESPN could soon be coming to an end and now he’s not so sure what he’ll be doing next season.

The former Cowboys QB who won three Super Bowls during his Hall of Fame career has been at odds with the network, and also with Buck in recent weeks. He’s is in the last year of his contract with ESPN and has not been offered an extension, which makes it look like the two sides are heading towards a split.

MORE: Troy Aikman Got Choked Up Over Heartbreaking Loss of His Friend

On Wednesday night Aikman attended Peter King’s book signing in Dallas and shed some light on his future in broadcasting.

“DALLAS-Great night discussing “The Game” with Troy Aikman and 110 book lovers. (They all came to see me, of course.),” King tweeted. “Stories flowed, as did some news: Aikman said he thought there was only a “50-50” chance he’ll do TV next year. The league hopes he will.”

DALLAS-Great night at @interabangbooks discussing “The Game” with @troyaikman and 110 book lovers. (They all came to see me, of course.) Stories flowed, as did some news: Aikman said he thought there was only a “50-50” chance he’ll do TV next year. The league hopes he will. pic.twitter.com/2HH675n43B
— Peter King (@peter_king) October 29, 2026

Why Troy Aikman’s broadcasting future is so complicated

Aikman’s future announcing opportunities took a big hit last week when J.J. Watt signed an extension with CBS that will have him in the No. 1 booth with Jim Nantz for at least the next few years. Aikman seemed like a perfect fit for CBS but that is no longer on the table.

Tom Brady is the lead analyst for Fox and isn’t going anywhere thanks to his huge 10-year, $375-million deal that he signed in 2022.

Amazon Prime Video seems like the only place where Aikman can land, though it isn’t likely since Kirk Herbstreit currently holds that job and recently signed an extension of his own. While that deal reportedly has opt outs after each season, it feels like Herbstreit will stay in the Thursday Night Football booth for the foreseeable future. Of course, if Aikman does become a free agent this offseason, Amazon could make a move to bring him over but it’s far from a sure thing.

Aikman knows all of those situations and might have actually been a little optimistic in saying he has a 50-50 shot at calling games next season. It would be a shame if he’s not in a booth in 2027 because he’s been the lead voice for so many of the biggest games over the years. He’s also slated to call the Super Bowl in February, which very well could be his last game with ESPN.

What Troy Aikman could do next year if he’s not calling games

Aikman talked last week about his relationship with Cowboys owner Jerry Jones and seemed open to the idea of working with the team if Jones thought he could help the franchise.

“This week, he said some really kind things which meant a lot to me, quite honestly,” Aikman said on Cowboys insider Mike Fisher’s podcast. ”So yeah, I would welcome any conversation with Jerry, and quite honestly I don’t know if there would be or if there ever would be an opportunity. But if Jerry came to me and felt that, in his heart, I could lend some services that would help make them better, I’d have a hard time not taking a good look at that.”

That seems like it would be a good fit for Aikman, but it would be a loss for NFL fans who have grown used to hearing him call games each week.

We’ll have to wait and see how this all plays out but it feels like Aikman could very well be in a different role next year.

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