ESPN re-signs Joe Buck for more than $100 million, highlighting company strategy

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ESPN and Joe Buck have agreed to a six-year contract extension worth around $108 million. The deal will raise Buck’s annual salary from $15 million to $18 million, as The Athletic first reported Wednesday.

Buck signed with ESPN in 2022 alongside his longtime broadcast partner, Troy Aikman. In terms of scale, signing Buck and Aikman marked one of ESPN’s most important talent acquisitions in its 40-year history.

The network spent years trying to find a booth that could match the quality of its competitors, from Sean McDonough and Steve Levy to Booger McFarland and Jason Witten. Those pairings did not work.

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Buck and Aikman do. In fact, they are often considered the best game duo in all of sports.

Aikman, who signed a five-year, $90 million contract with ESPN, remains unsigned. His contract expires after the Super Bowl in February.

We expect him to re-sign.

Buck’s new deal secures him for not only the upcoming Super Bowl but also ESPN’s next one in 2031. At 57, Buck could be in line for another contract after this one.

For context, Al Michaels still calls Thursday Night Football for Amazon Prime at 81.

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Joe Buck is now tied with Aikman as ESPN’s third-highest-paid on-air personality, behind Stephen A. Smith and Pat McAfee. Smith makes around $21 million per year, while McAfee makes around $30 million.

Note: McAfee’s deal is not a standard talent contract. He licenses his daily studio show to the network and has a separate agreement that includes roles on “College GameDay,” “Monday Night Countdown,” and other ESPN appearances.

McAfee is reportedly in contract discussions with ESPN on a renewal worth around $65 million per year.

The deals for Buck, McAfee, Aikman, and Smith highlight ESPN’s strategy under chairman Jimmy Pitaro. The stars get paid. The middle class does not.

Joe Buck and Troy Aikman stand on the sideline before an NFL wild-card playoff game.

Renewals for those four personalities come as ESPN laid off multiple on-air talents in July, following another round of layoffs that affected 20 on-air talents in 2023.

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Other ESPN talents in the “star” category include Michael Wilbon, Tony Kornheiser, Kirk Herbstreit, and Mike Breen.

Considering the value of calling a Super Bowl, Buck might be the most valuable of them.

Buck could also return to calling the World Series if ESPN adds the event to its portfolio in 2029. According to The Athletic, Pitaro has told Buck he would like him to call the World Series if ESPN adds it.

The World Series is currently exclusive to FOX, where Buck long called the event, but could be split between multiple broadcast partners in the next rights negotiations.

FOX, ESPN, NBC, and Netflix are among the likely bidders.

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