Buck and Aikman Reportedly Argued Before Bills-Rams Game

Joe Buck and Troy Aikman reportedly argued before an October 12 Monday Night Football broadcast, but the exchange de-escalated and did not appear to affect their on-air performance, according to a report citing an unnamed source. The account has not been independently corroborated in the material reviewed, and ESPN declined to comment when asked about the incident. The reported argument occurred before the Buffalo Bills played the Los Angeles Rams at SoFi Stadium. The report attributed the tension to the announcers’ differing contract situations: Buck had secured a new deal with ESPN, while Aikman was in the final year of his contract and had not received a new offer, according to the same unnamed source. The reports differed on the length of Buck’s contract. One described it as a six-year agreement worth $100 million, while another called it a five-year deal. Neither account provided the underlying contract, and the reports did not establish whether ESPN or Aikman would pursue a new agreement. The source said Buck raised the issue, leading to an argument that later cooled. Buck and Aikman then called the game without viewers seeing signs of a problem, the report said.