Breaking up Troy Aikman and Joe Buck would be a big mistake for ESPN | Bobby Burack

ESPN will broadcast its first Super Bowl this February, with Joe Buck and Troy Aikman on the call. It will mark the duo's seventh Super Bowl broadcast together - and perhaps its last.

Buck recently agreed to a new six-year, $108 million contract extension with ESPN. However, sources confirm to OutKick that Aikman and the network remain far apart in contract negotiations. Aikman's current deal expires after the Super Bowl.

Aikman, who turns 60 in November, has not received a long-term offer from ESPN. It remains unclear why the network is hesitant to make such a commitment.

ESPN finally found an NFL analyst who meets the standard required for its most prominent broadcast booth. For years, the network cycled through analysts such as Jason Witten, Booger McFarland, Brian Griese and Louis Riddick. They each struggled.

Meanwhile, Aikman is widely regarded as the best color commentator in sports. He has worked with Buck since 2002, when the two began calling games together at Fox. This season marks their 25th year as a broadcast team. They joined ESPN together in 2022.

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ESPN could view Greg Olsen, whose contract with Fox also expires after this season, as a younger and cheaper alternative. Olsen is good in the booth. Still, he may not have the same chemistry with Buck as Aikman does - at least not initially.

Chemistry is difficult to project. It is even harder to manufacture.

Unless Aikman is seeking Tom Brady money - reportedly $37.5 million annually - it would be difficult to view losing him as anything other than a mistake.

The two sides should be able to reach a financial agreement if they want to. ESPN has demonstrated that it will spend more than $100 million on talent it considers to be in the upper echelon, including Buck, Stephen A. Smith, and Pat McAfee. Aikman is in that tier.

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The small details separate Aikman from his peers. He criticizes coaches, players, and officials when warranted. He explains the game with great clarity and precision.

However, ESPN may have reasons beyond quality to move on.

For one, ESPN is back in the diversity business following unfounded accusations of racism from former employees Ryan Clark and Dan Le Batard. Despite the baseless nature of those accusations, management appears determined to prove, yet again, that it is "not racist."

What better way to prove that than by breaking up one of the most accomplished white broadcast teams in sports and replacing Aikman with an analyst of color?

The network could return to a three-person booth featuring Buck, a white analyst, and a black analyst.

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In that scenario, Jason McCourty would be a name to watch. McCourty is part of ESPN's NFL coverage and has joined the network's Monday Night Countdown team. ESPN is high on the former NFL cornerback, sources say.

If ESPN doesn't re-sign Aikman, he should have options elsewhere.

Kirk Herbstreit's contracts with ESPN and Amazon also expire after this season, potentially creating an opening on Amazon's Thursday Night Football team.

CBS is high on JJ Watt as a full-time replacement for Tony Romo. But with CBS set to broadcast its first Super Bowl under Paramount Skydance ownership in 2028, the Ellison-backed conglomerate may view Aikman as an upgrade.

Netflix is another possibility as it continues expanding its NFL portfolio. Netflix Chief Content Officer Bela Bajaria suggested last week that the streamer would be interested in acquiring more of the league's international schedule. Netflix has not established a permanent game booth.

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YouTube is also a wild card and could factor into NFL rights negotiations in 2029. Aikman could be an option there, too.

Aikman is one of the few talents ESPN could not easily replace. It would be a mistake to break Buck and Aikman up.