Fortunately for Joe Buck (and for ESPN), Disney doesn’t apply the same rules that the Steelers do for re-doing contracts after the football season starts.
Andrew Marchand i Athletics reports ESPN and Buck have agreed to a new deal which pays more than 100 million dollars.
In total, the six-year extension is worth approximately $108 million. That’s an average of $18 million a year. His current deal pays $15 million a year.
The contract runs through 2032, beyond the expiration of ESPN’s current deal with the NFL. Which basically confirms (if there was any doubt) that ESPN will walk out of the upcoming game of broadcast rights musical chairs with a seat at the table.
As Marchand points out, Troy Aikman doesn’t have a new deal yet. Buck and Aikman left Fox together for ESPN in 2022, and last month there were suggestions that they can be a package deal. Aikman’s five-year, $90 million contract runs through the Super Bowl, which ESPN/ABC will televise.
Aikman was already $18 million a year. With Buck matching him, Aikman will surely be looking to hit at least $20 million. To go along with everything he’s currently taking on as a consultant for the Dolphins.
