Stephen A. Smith has officially stated his opinion on the Troy Aikman/ESPN drama that’s left a cloud over the last couple of “Monday Night Football” broadcasts.
After inking Aikman’s longtime partner Joe Buck to a contract extension, the former Dallas Cowboys quarterback has yet to receive an offer from the Worldwide Leader and appears to be headed for free agency.
But the idea of breaking up the longest-tenured NFL booth just doesn’t sit right with Stephen A. and he believes the network needs to find a way to bring the Hall of Famer back.
Stephen A. Smith on Troy Aikman: ‘I sincerely hope that we don’t lose him’
Speculation has already begun about Buck’s next partner once the 2026 season wraps. But taking to his SiriusXM radio show on Monday, Smith argued that Aikman is someone that needs to continue representing the ESPN brand.
“They are the A-team,” Smith said of Aikman and Buck (via Awful Announcing). “Joe Buck, it don’t get no better … And I feel the exact same way about Troy Aikman, who I love, who I’ve loved for years.”
“That’s their business, that’s ESPN’s business, that’s ABC’s business, and all of that. I know they’ll be calling the Super Bowl this year. Troy Aikman is an elite football mind whose credentials and resume is as impeccable as they come, and it speaks for itself,” the “First Take” personality continued.
“I sincerely hope that we don’t lose him as a person that’s employed by ESPN, but if we do lose him, I want to wish him all the happiness in the world if he decides to go elsewhere. Because football must have Troy Aikman’s voice in it, he’s that special of a guy and a football mind, and I sincerely hope that we keep him.”
Having one of the faces of the network in his corner certainly isn’t a negative for Aikman. But Stephen A. also went to bat for several other prominent names that are no longer employed by the company.
