‘He Didn’t Hesitate for Half a Second’ — Media Insider Recalls Joe Buck’s Immediate Response on Working Without Troy Aikman

Priyanshu Choudhary Wed, November 4, 2026 at 7:07 AM UTC

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NFL analyst Troy Aikman and Joe Buck.

There has been a ton of speculation about a true resolution to the entire cycle around Troy Aikman and ESPN.

Aikman, one of the premier analysts in the announcing booth, does not have a contract beyond Super Bowl LXI, but his partner in the booth, Joe Buck, has already signed a new deal, leading to some tension between the two.

Media insider Jimmy Traina says he checked in on how Buck feels about potentially going about his business without the Dallas Cowboys legend alongside him.

Jimmy Traina Recalls Joe Buck’s Surprising Answer About Working Without Troy Aikman

Over the last few weeks, the story between Aikman, Buck, and ESPN has been among the biggest topics on virtually every Monday Night Football broadcast.

After retiring from the NFL, Aikman quickly joined the broadcasting booth. Within a year, starting in 2002, he was working alongside Buck, a partnership that has continued to this day across Fox and ESPN.

In 2022, the two came over to ESPN, taking up their current roles on MNF. But that partnership could be nearing an end, with this season shaping up to be their last year together in the booth.

As a hypothetical, Traina says he asked Buck a while ago what it would be like to call Monday Night Football without Aikman.

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“When this story broke with Joe Buck and Troy Aikman, I immediately thought of that conversation with Joe Buck,” Traina admitted. “I said, ‘Could you imagine ever doing Monday Night Football or working with someone other than Troy?'”

As he spoke to Underscore Media, he admitted his shock: “I remember in that moment being struck by the fact that not only did Joe say vehemently he could work with anyone and he doesn’t have to just work with Troy, but he didn’t hesitate for half a second.”

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Moreover, Traina added that he believes Buck already knew something was about to go down, and that was a possible admission or hint from his end about what the future held.

Since the storyline has gained traction, there have been reports of a tense verbal altercation between the broadcasting partners. Per those reports, Aikman accused Buck of being the reason behind ESPN’s hesitation in offering him an extension.

Buck, on the other hand, claimed he played no role in steering the network that way.

As things stand, Aikman still doesn’t have a deal in place with ESPN, and with how tense things have gotten, it’s unclear if there is going to be a resolution, even with a Super Bowl on the horizon.

This article originally appeared on Pro Football Network.

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Source: “AOL Sports”