We’re one day away from Joe Buck and Troy Aikman sharing the ESPN Monday Night Football booth again. But this time, the duo will be under a microscope. Monday’s tilt between the Washington Commanders ...
We’re one day away from Joe Buck and Troy Aikman sharing the ESPN Monday Night Football booth again. But this time, the duo will be under a microscope.
Monday’s tilt between the Washington Commanders and San Francisco 49ers marks Buck and Aikman’s first assignment since reports surfaced that the longtime partners had an argument about their respective contract situations prior to last week’s Monday Night Football game. In the days since, Aikman has publicly voiced thoughts on his contract situation, describing himself as a “free agent” after this year’s Super Bowl but saying he will call games for ESPN until then.
But every network should have a JIC (just in case) plan for situations like this. No one truly knows the status of the relationship between Aikman and Buck, or if it could deteriorate further if Aikman’s contract situation remains uncertain. If that happens, he could choose to leave his post midseason. Conversely, if the circumstances begin to negatively affect Aikman’s work in the booth, ESPN could make the call itself to pull Aikman midseason. Pundits like Boomer Esiason and Mike Florio have already speculated something like this could happen.
In either case, ESPN needs a JIC. So what are the network’s options should it need to replace its lead NFL analyst during the most important football season in its history? Here’s who ESPN may look towards.
Peyton and Eli Manning
The Manning brothers would likely find themselves atop ESPN’s wish list should the network need to replace Aikman midseason. The brothers, of course, host the ManningCast altcast for Monday Night Football much of the season, so they’re already “in-house” options for ESPN. But they’ve also been averse to doing any traditional booth work in the past. Peyton Manning likes to work from home. (Don’t we all.)
However, if there’s one opportunity to convince Peyton Manning to try his hand in a traditional broadcast booth, it’d be for a partial season that would end in him calling a Super Bowl. Eli, if desired, could join to make it a three-man team. He could even serve as a solo analyst for some minor regular-season games if Peyton still insists on taking some weeks off.
For ESPN, losing its lead NFL analyst in the middle of its first-ever Super Bowl season is a nightmare scenario. But the Mannings would be a clear choice if ESPN wants to ensure it’ll have some recognizable faces in the booth come February.
Jason Kelce
In the interest of star power, ESPN would also need to consider Jason Kelce as a possible replacement. Kelce has gotten some limited reps during NFL Network’s international games this season, and while he’s caught some flak for referring to his former team, the Philadelphia Eagles, as “we,” or being a bit verbose in his analysis, he’s generally performed well for a first-time analyst.
The concern with Kelce would be his greenness. He’s still unpolished as a game analyst. Sure, the same could be said for Peyton and Eli Manning, but there’s reason to believe they could translate their well-regarded analysis from the ManningCast relatively well to the booth, as long as they learn the mechanics of television a bit better.
The jury is still out on Kelce, but he’d certainly be under consideration from ESPN management, especially considering he’s already a full-time member of the Monday Night Countdown crew.
Jason McCourty
Speaking of Monday Night Countdown, another solid option for ESPN would be Jason McCourty, who is Kelce’s colleague in the studio. McCourty boasts a bit more experience as a game analyst, having worked NFL games for CBS alongside Tiki Barber and Andrew Catalon before moving to ESPN. He’s also called Thursday Night Football for Westwood One radio since 2022, giving him more game analyst experience than most others on this list.
McCourty is more than capable of filling in alongside Buck. The only question would be whether ESPN is willing to put someone of McCourty’s stature in the booth for the biggest game in network history. While McCourty had a solid NFL career, winning Super Bowl LIII with the Patriots, he was never a Pro Bowler or All-Pro. He doesn’t have the same Q-rating as a Manning or a Kelce.
That doesn’t mean he couldn’t call a Super Bowl. Just a few years ago, Fox slotted Greg Olsen into its Super Bowl booth, and he was far from a household name. Olsen, of course, excelled and is now one of the most desirable NFL analysts set to hit the market.
Kurt Warner, Louis Riddick, or Dan Orlovsky
These three are being grouped together because they all offer about the same thing. Kurt Warner, Louis Riddick, and Dan Orlovsky all fall into the category of announcers that could fill in for ESPN on a temporary basis, but likely wouldn’t be the network’s top choice, especially for a Super Bowl. This trio is likely where ESPN would look in a pinch, should Aikman make a last-minute decision not to work midseason, while it looks for a higher profile replacement for the playoffs and Super Bowl.
Warner, Riddick, and Orlovsky all have a fair bit of experience calling games, mostly during the NFL’s International Series and the old Monday Night Football doubleheaders. That’s good experience to have, but far from what ESPN likely considers as Super Bowl-caliber.
Kirk Herbstreit
Kirk Herbstreit could fit into ESPN’s emergency plans in a limited capacity. Obviously, Herbstreit already calls Thursday Night Football for Prime Video. He’s also a centerpiece of College GameDay and calls ESPN’s biggest college football game each Saturday along with the College Football Playoff later in the season. It’s not really conceivable for Herbstreit to fit Monday Night Football into his already packed schedule.
But let’s say ESPN is forced down their list to a Warner or Riddick type during the regular season. Would it be wise for the network to tap Herbstreit for the playoffs and Super Bowl?
Herbstreit is one of the most recognizable faces at ESPN and in football broadcasting, period. He’s proven to be a very solid NFL analyst for Prime Video, despite working with an aging Al Michaels. His Xs and Os ability can’t be disputed, and his familiarity with fans would probably give ESPN a level of comfort some of the other choices on this list wouldn’t.
The only question is whether his Prime Video contract would allow him to do this. The regular season is likely out of the question, and maybe the Wild Card round since Prime Video has a game that weekend. But the Divisional and Super Bowl? Those are possibilities.
Greg Olsen?
Olsen is a complete wild card. He’s already been identified as Aikman’s likely replacement for next season, per John Ourand of Puck. His contract with Fox expires at the end of this season, and he’ll likely land in a No. 1 seat somewhere. But could he leave Fox midseason if ESPN’s lead seat opens up?
It’s already been reported that Olsen has a clause in his Fox contract that allows him to leave the network to take a top job elsewhere if one opens up, but would that clause apply to an opening that became available midseason? If it does, Olsen leaving Fox for ESPN in the middle of the year would be an amazing, and unprecedented, sports media story.
If Olsen is truly ESPN’s top pick to replace Aikman next season, this could be the network’s ideal backup plan if it needs to (or chooses to) replace Aikman this year.
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