Troy Aikman already has a longer broadcasting career than the 11 seasons he spent in the NFL during his illustrious, Hall of Fame playing days.
Since then, his time spent in the booth with Joe Buck had them switching employers from Fox to ESPN last season to become the new broadcast duo on Monday Night Football. Aikman had been with Fox since 2001, only a year after he stopped playing.
His time behind the mic has the 56-year-old thinking about things deeper than just his career.
“I probably give it more thought than I should,” Aikman said in a Monday interview on 1310 The Ticket in Dallas and transcribed by the Dallas Morning News. “I always have been [mindful] of our time being limited. … So, I posed the question to myself a lot that, you know, if you’ve got ‘X’ number of years left, what exactly do you want to do with that time?”
Aikman’s own retirement talk came in the context of a conversation with retiring long-time Dallas radio host Norm Hitzges.
One of the questions about his career had him contemplating a front-office role. The talk had come up whether or not he wanted to be a general manager for a team. Perhaps not in an official capacity, however.
The broadcasting gig has him unsure just how long he’ll continue in the role.
“And I go a step further — does that include broadcasting, does that include living in Texas? … But yet, I am still broadcasting and I’m still living in Dallas, and I very much love the state of Texas and I love living in Dallas, but I don’t know how much longer I’ll do it. I’ve got a pretty good idea. And not to suggest that I’m retiring anytime in the near future, but I’ve got an idea as to when I believe that I’ll retire.”
Aikman’s five-year deal with ESPN has him earning $92.5 million. A deal that surpasses Tony Romo’s $17.5 million-per-year contract with CBS. It’s hard to see him walking away from the booth before that contract expires given the investment ESPN has made in him and Joe Buck and ABC will broadcast Super Bowl LXI in February 2027. Perhaps that could be the date he has in mind.
While it didn’t appear Aikman gave a date as to when he will retire from the media, it’s obvious the talks with his family have taken place.
About Jessica Kleinschmidt
Jess is a baseball fan with Reno, Nev. roots residing in the Bay Area. She is the host of "Short and to the Point" and is also a broadcaster with the Oakland A's Radio Network. She previously worked for MLB.com and NBC Sports Bay Area.