With ESPN hosting the Super Bowl this season and likely joining the rotation of Super Bowl broadcasters for years to come, the network has a big decision to make on lead NFL play-by-play man Joe Buck. It appears they’ve made their call.
According to sports media insider Andrew Marchand of The Athletic, ESPN and Buck have agreed to a six-year contract extension worth $108 million. The deal keeps Buck at ESPN through 2031.
“ESPN’s Joe Buck has agreed to a new contract with the network worth more than $100 million that will keep him as the voice of ‘Monday Night Football’ into the next decade, per @AndrewMarchand . The six-year extension is in the neighborhood of $108 million, sources said, and means that Buck will not only call ESPN’s first Super Bowl this February, but will also be on the mic for the network’s next one in 2031,” The Athletic shared on X.
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Did ESPN overpay?
Given that ESPN has recently given massive paydays to talents like Stephen A. Smith and Joe Buck, fans weren’t quite sure what to make of Buck now earning as much money as a star NFL pass rusher. Some feel he deserves it while others think it’s a bit of an overpay:
“In the world of sports broadcast, this dude absolutely deserves it. Good for Joe Buck,” one user wrote in the replies.
“$100 million? Does anyone tune into a sporting event because of the announcer? For example, as a Met fan, I love Gary, Keith and Ron. They are unequivocally the best, but if they get hit by a bus tomorrow, I’m still tuning into the Mets game,” wrote another.
“Y’all were mad at Stephen A and McAfee when this dude is half the ESPN budget,” a third remarked.
“Nice one for him. Congratulations to Joe Buck.”
“He doesn’t add anything to the game.”
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Buck has been one of the top NFL play-by-play men for decades. While he isn’t everyone’s favorite play-by-play man, he would be very hard to replace.
ESPN is clearly not planning on replacing him through the end of this decade.
That’s one position that the network has stabilized.
Up next: Troy Aikman.
