‘Staying at ESPN Too Long Turns Into Torture,’ ‘Sick Place’ — Former ‘Around the Horn Panelist’ Claims Troy Aikman Is the Latest Victim of Network Politics

Saino Zachariah Sat, October 31, 2026 at 6:07 AM UTC

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‘Staying at ESPN Too Long Turns Into Torture,’ ‘Sick Place’ — Former Around the Horn Panelist Claims Troy Aikman Is the Latest Victim of Network Politics

For years, Troy Aikman and Joe Buck were one of sports television’s most dependable partnerships. Now, a contract dispute and an alleged argument have put Aikman’s future at ESPN and the two longtime partners’ relationship on the brink.

But former ESPN personality Jay Mariotti sees something bigger than a broadcasting breakup.

Drawing on his own eight years at “Around the Horn”, Mariotti believes Aikman may be the latest casualty of what he describes as ESPN’s toxic internal politics, warning that staying at the network too long can turn a dream job into an experience “that isn’t worth the money.”

Jay Mariotti Sees His Own ESPN Story in Troy Aikman’s Fallout

ESPN lured the pair of Aikman and Buck from Fox in 2022 with five-year deals worth $90 million for Aikman and $75 million for Buck, both running through the network’s first Super Bowl on Feb. 14, 2027. Then, in May, ESPN quietly signed Buck to a new six-year, $108 million deal, as reported by The Athletic.

Neither Buck nor the network told Aikman, who took the secrecy as a betrayal. Buck, according to Andrew Marchand’s report, saw it as similar to how Aikman had handled his own business over their run, since Aikman had left Fox for ESPN without knowing whether Buck could follow.

Mariotti, who spent eight years on “Around the Horn,” sees more than money at work.

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“Nothing is worse than having a joyride stalled by a network’s political scene, which has happened to many of us… Troy Aikman is the latest victim, undone by ex-friend Joe Buck if you believe every syllable of Andrew Marchand’s story in The Athletic,” Mariotti wrote.

He had strong words for the network as well: “ESPN is a sick place. It allows brilliant people to leave, including Aikman.”

Mariotti also leaned on a current ESPN voice, Michael Wilbon, who called out his bosses while closing out a “Pardon the Interruption” episode this month: “You know who calls a game better than Troy Aikman, knuckleheads? Nobody calls a game better than Troy Aikman!”

As for Mariotti, he said as numbers grew every quarter “to peak highs” on his show, people began viewing him as “some sort of a bad guy.”

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“I showed up every day and was thrilled to be there, even when I was muted by a host who didn’t like me,” Mariotti wrote.

“No one thought the show would last. We lasted, but by the final season, I felt wobbly in my tracks. Did I have no political backing? I did not, stuck in Chicago when the show was in Washington, and the big bosses were in Connecticut. They paid me well. Yet I could be replaced at any time,” he added.

What Joe Buck Told Aikman Before Kickoff

The tension had been building off the air through the first five weeks of the season, The Athletic report said. On game day, before the booth argument, Aikman sat down with ESPN chairman Jimmy Pitaro for a tense one-hour talk about the rupture and whether the duo had a future.

The report also carried Buck’s side, too. According to sources with direct knowledge of the encounter, the argument came before kickoff of what became the Buffalo Bills’ 37-34 overtime win over the Los Angeles Rams, with Buck telling Aikman, “I’m not the reason you don’t have a contract.”

The 59-year-old Aikman, who sources said had long believed Buck was behind the turnover that cycled five producers and directors through their “Monday Night Football” run, shot back: “I just never thought you’d do it to me.”

Buck, 57, replied, “They got rid of them because you were screaming at them.” Sources briefed on Buck’s view said that Aikman’s demands for replays made the situation untenable for the production staff.

Marchand reported that those with knowledge of Aikman’s perspective believe Buck is skilled at manipulating to get what he wants. Mariotti went further on Aikman’s future, writing, “No wonder he highly doubts whether he’ll be on television next season.”

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Aikman’s side opened its own talks at $30 million a year, using Tom Brady’s $37.5 million annual rate at Fox as a benchmark, as Puck reported.

Sources with knowledge of ESPN’s thinking pointed to cost-cutting ahead of a new round of layoffs, depth in the game-analyst market, and a relationship gone sour.

Super Bowl 61 will be played at SoFi Stadium. If it is their last broadcast together, the longest continuous national pairing in NFL history would sign off in the same building where its rift boiled over.

This article originally appeared on Pro Football Network.

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Source: “AOL Sports”