Troy Aikman often talks about how calling the Super Bowl between the New England Patriots and New York Giants in 2008 was the lowest point of his NFL broadcasting career. When Aikman felt empty despite knowing he had just announced perhaps the biggest game of his life, he got scared.
But in a new interview on the Sports Media with Richard Deitsch podcast released Monday, the 57-year-old Aikman revealed he has enjoyed his time at ESPN more than any point in his broadcasting career and found an inner peace he hopes can propel him into many more years in the booth.
“I’m not sure why it changed, though … I’ve never felt that way since,” Aikman said. “In fact, I’ve felt the exact opposite. Maybe it took kind of reaching that point to truly be able to come out of that and appreciate the profession. But I truly have since then, and I’ve enjoyed it over the last two years, three years as I have during any time of my career.”
Because of his comfort at ESPN, Aikman has closed the door on working for an NFL team and hopes to call Monday Night Football beyond the end of his current deal with the Worldwide Leader, which ends in 2027.
“I always kind of had this thought that I think maybe I’ll dive in and try to do something with a club. And now, with my age and where I am, I’ve pretty much closed the door on that ever becoming a possibility,” Aikman said. “So I’ve totally embraced the broadcasting. I enjoy it; I enjoy working at ESPN, and I enjoy the people that I’m with. And I don’t know when I might want to be done with it, but I hope it’s not any time soon.”
Aikman did not get to retire from the NFL on his own terms. Concussions and other injuries forced him out at 34 after 12 seasons.
In a recent profile by Zak Keefer at The Athletic, Aikman opened up about how difficult it was for him to stop pushing. He doesn’t easily embrace contentment but now meditates, spends more time with family, and works on small projects near home like a beer company called Eight.
“It’s taken decades,” Aikman told Keefer. “Not to get weird on you, but it’s taken a lot of personal work … finding it within myself to give myself grace. There was a lot of, ‘Why do I feel this way?’”
This weekend at ESPN, Aikman got to interview his fellow Dallas Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott at the team facility. The conversation was released the day Prescott ultimately signed a new contract to stay in Dallas for six more years. Troy Aikman is as front and center in NFL broadcasting as ever.
He wants to keep it going as long as he can.
