Charles Barkley Blames Troy Aikman For Dragging Joe Buck Into Mega ESPN Dispute

Basketball legend Charles Barkley isn't happy with Troy Aikman for arguing with colleague Joe Buck after he signed an extension with ESPN.

Charles Barkley Blames Troy Aikman For Dragging Joe Buck Into Mega ESPN Dispute

(L) Charles Barkley and (R) Troy Aikman (Image via IMAGO)

Troy Aikman isn’t happy that ESPN agreed to extend Joe Buck‘s contract and not his. Aikman is in the final year of his five-year contract and expected the network to give him a new deal as well.

According to The Athletic and Front Office Sports, Aikman and Buck had a serious argument ahead of the Buffalo Bills Week 5 clash against the Los Angeles Rams at SoFi Stadium, the venue for the 2026-27 Super Bowl.

NBA legend and former ESPN employee Charles Barkley reacted to the spat on the 97.5 Fanatic Podcast. Barkley criticized Aikman for “dragging” Buck into the conversation. From his perspective, ESPN doesn’t want Aikman to continue.

They gave Joe [Buck] a deal, look like they don’t want to give you a deal, which they don’t have to give you a deal. But you don’t have to drag Joe Buck into it. Like, it ain’t his job. I’m pretty sure they’ve been together 25 years. I’m pretty sure they love working together. But maybe they want to go in a different direction.

Charles Barkley said

In September, The Athletic reported that Buck signed a six-year extension worth $108 million to remain the voice of Monday Night Football through ESPN’s next Super Bowl in 2031. Tension has brewed between Aikman and Buck since then.

Aikman’s five-year contract, worth approximately $90 million, is nearing its end. The Dallas Cowboys icon has eyed an extension for some time, but as Barkley teased, the network may move on from him. That said, Aikman has confirmed that he will stick around until this year’s Super Bowl.

I’ll be a free agent at the end of the year and kind of see what happens. But I’m looking forward to whatever the rest of this season does hold and the Super Bowl and all that and where my next landing spot might be.

Troy Aikman said

Despite the reported argument, Aikman and Buck covered the Bills game and the Week 6 Monday night fixture between the San Francisco 49ers and the Washington Commanders at Levi’s Stadium.

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Media analyst gives his verdict on Troy Aikman’s future

Aikman has worked in media after retiring from football. Before joining ESPN, he worked for FOX Sports. With the way the situation has panned out in the last few weeks, the NFL Hall of Famer’s future could lie elsewhere.

Charles Barkley Blames Troy Aikman For Dragging Joe Buck Into Mega ESPN Dispute
Troy Aikman (Image via Yahoo Sports)

Media expert Jimmy Traina believes Aikman won’t be out of a job for too long if ESPN releases him after Super Bowl 61. On his Traina Thoughts podcast, the veteran media expert argued that networks would line up to sign Aikman because “Aikman’s the best analyst in the game.”

However, Traina doesn’t see CBS in the running. The network parted ways with former Cowboys quarterback Tony Romo following his OWI fiasco. JJ Watt replaced Romo in the booth alongside Jim Nantz. Traina believes Aikman will end up with Amazon.

I would guess Aikman will go to Amazon because [Kirk] Herbstreit started that weird deal where if someone better than him comes along, then Amazon could hire them. But Romo might have to go to studio before doing games. So, I don’t think, I know Aikman will have a much easier time.

Jimmy Traina said

Aikman, a UCLA legend, played his entire NFL career with the Cowboys. The 59-year-old won three Super Bowls while playing alongside HOFers Emmitt Smith and Michael Irvin. He was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2006.

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