Troy Aikman rules out working for an NFL team and wants to stay with ESPN beyond 2027

Troy Aikman often talks about how commentating on the Super Bowl between the New England Patriots and the New York Giants in 2008 was the lowest point of his NFL commentating career. Feeling empty despite knowing he had just commentated on perhaps the biggest game of his life, Aikman became afraid.

But in a new interview on the Sports media with Richard Deitsch In a podcast released Monday, Aikman, 57, said he enjoyed his time at ESPN more than any other broadcasting career and found a sense of peace that he hopes will help him enjoy many more years in the broadcast booth.

“I'm not sure why that changed though…I've never felt the same since,” Aikman said. “In fact, I've felt the exact opposite. Maybe I had to get to that point to really get out of that state and appreciate the profession. But since then, I've really appreciated it and I've enjoyed it for the last two or three years, just as I have throughout my career.”

Because of his comfort at ESPN, Aikman has closed the door to working with an NFL team and hopes to call Monday Night Football beyond the end of his current contract with the global market leader, which ends in 2027.

“I always had the thought that maybe I could get in and try to do something with a club. But now, at my age and where I am now, I've pretty much closed the door to that possibility,” Aikman said. “So I've fully embraced the broadcasting business. I enjoy it; I enjoy working at ESPN and I like the people I'm around. And I don't know when I want to be done with it, but I hope it's not anytime soon.”

Aikman was unable to voluntarily retire from the NFL. Concussions and other injuries forced him to retire at the age of 34 after 12 seasons.

In a recent profile by Zak Keefer at The Athletic, Aikman talked about how difficult it was for him to quit the pressure. He is not easily satisfied, but now meditates, spends more time with family and works on small projects close to home, such as a beer company called Eight.

“It took decades,” Aikman told Keefer. “I don't want to sound weird, but it took a lot of personal work … finding the strength within myself to give myself grace. I often asked myself, 'Why do I feel this way?'”

This weekend, Aikman was able to interview fellow Dallas Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott on ESPN's team grounds. The interview was published the same day that Prescott finally signed a new contract that would keep him in Dallas for another six years. Troy Aikman is as much a focus of NFL broadcasts as ever.

He wants to keep it going as long as possible.

[Sports Media with Richard Deitsch Podcast]