ESPN’s carousel of “Monday Night Football” announcers continued to turn on Wednesday.
Or maybe it stopped.
The network, which has struggled to find a suitable and entertaining broadcast team for the weekly NFL game, announced Wednesday that Joe Buck and Troy Aikman will be the new announcers for “Monday Night Football.” In a move that’s been rumored for multiple days, Buck and Aikman are being poached from Fox Sports’ football broadcasts.
While all fans have their opinions, especially of Buck’s announcing of both MLB and NFL games, the duo has been arguably one of the top in the football industry — up there with Al Michaels and Cris Collinsworth for NBC’s “Sunday Night Football” and CBS team Jim Nantz and Tony Romo.
Buck and Aikman have worked together for 20 NFL seasons and called six Super Bowls. They are replacing Steve Levy, Louis Riddick and Brian Griese in ESPN’s booth.
“When you have the opportunity to bring in the iconic, longest-running NFL broadcasting duo, you take it, especially at a time when we are on the cusp of a new era in our expanding relationship with the NFL,” ESPN chairman Jimmy Pitaro said in a statement. “The NFL continues to ascend, and we now have more games than ever before, providing additional opportunities for Joe, Troy and our deep roster of commentators.”
Like most kids of my generation, I grew up watching MNF w Frank Gifford, Howard Cosell & my mom’s favorite Don Meredith so you can only imagine my excitement to be part of the legacy of MNF & continue working w Joe Buck, my broadcast partner for the last 20 years!#MNFonESPN🏈 pic.twitter.com/MKPeqncs0l
— Troy Aikman (@TroyAikman) March 16, 2022
The move to shell out money for Buck and Aikman could end ESPN’s booth shuffling. When “Monday Night Football” moved from ABC to ESPN in 2006, the network had a consistent play-by-play announcer in Mike Tirico and a few different color commentators in Tony Kornheiser, Ron Jaworski and Jon Gruden. But after Tirico left after 2015, ESPN has employed three different broadcast teams for the weekly program, each for two years. Sean McDonough and Gruden teamed up before the network went with Joe Tessitore and Booger McFarland. The Tessitore-McFarland pairing was especially bad in most fans’ opinions, and the Levy-Riddick-Griese trio for the past two seasons has been considered by many to be a slight improvement.
ESPN said it signed Aikman and Buck to “multiyear agreements” and that they will also contribute to content on streaming platform ESPN+. Lisa Salters will continue in her role as sideline reporter for her 11th season.
“To return to the stadium on Monday nights with Troy — who I have the utmost comfort with and confidence in — and begin a new chapter, for us and ESPN, has me excited about this season and our future,” Buck said in a statement.
Beyond excited for the next chapter of my life. Here we go!!! @TroyAikman @espn pic.twitter.com/ggdlnziFQy
— Joe Buck (@Buck) March 16, 2022
Buck and Aikman aren’t the only announcers on the move. Michaels, the face of “Sunday Night Football” for the last 16 years, is rumored to be moving to Amazon to announce “Thursday Night Football,” as the company’s Prime Video streaming platform prepares for its first full season with the weekly NFL game.
• Jacob Calvin Meyer can be reached at jmeyer@washingtontimes.com.
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