Troy Aikman has been a broadcaster for a quarter-century, but he says this part of his football career nearly ended 15 years ago, after the New York Giants upset the New England Patriots in Super Bowl XLII.
Aikman joined the Sports Media with Richard Deitsch podcast this week. And during the interview, Deitsch recalled Aikman once candidly admitting he was close to walking away from what is now one of the best broadcasting careers in NFL history.
“It was Eli Manning hitting Plaxico Burress for the touchdown against the New England Patriots,” Aikman said of the Giants ruining the Patriots attempt at a perfect season. “I was at the hotel after the game having dinner with my then wife, and I just remember thinking, ‘This could be the greatest game that I will ever call.’
“It was a tremendous Super Bowl, it was a great finish…it was a historical game. And yet, after the game, I don’t know that I felt more empty than I did at that moment in my life. And I just thought, ‘Wow, if this is how I feel, maybe I’m in the wrong profession.’ And I didn’t do anything to address that. I didn’t go into the offseason thinking anything differently, but I did think at that moment, maybe I should be doing something else.”
At the time, Aikman was in just his sixth season alongside Joe Buck, and they were calling just their second Super Bowl together. Now they’re in their 24th season together having moved from Fox to ESPN, and it’s crazy to think the longest tenured broadcast duo in NFL history could have ended nearly two decades ago. After deciding against walking away from his broadcasting career in 2008, the 59-year-old says he hasn’t had that empty feeling since, adding that he can’t explain why his mindset flipped.
“Every year, I’ve enjoyed it more and more. At some point I’ll walk away, hopefully it’s my decision whenever that time comes. But for right now, I’m really enjoying my time at ESPN. I love working with Joe,” Aikman told Deitsch. “I don’t see the end coming anytime soon.”
Aikman acknowledged that at 59 years old and having done the job for a quarter-century, he recognizes there will be an end at some point. Considering the unknown timeline, Deitsch asked whether Aikman can envision working into his 70s, and the Monday Night Football analyst gave a resounding no.
“As I kind of map out my life and what I have of it, I don’t see myself doing this at 70 years old,” Aikman said definitively. “Not because I couldn’t do it, not because I wouldn’t still be enjoying it, but I have not had falls off since I was a kid. And there’s just things that I want to be able to go do and things I want to see before my time on earth is done.”
Buck recently said he similarly has no plans of retiring anytime soon, making it reasonable to think they can continue working together for close to another decade, especially as ESPN gets set to join the Super Bowl rotation. It’s hard to predict the next 10 years, but Aikman is in as good of shape as any 59-year-old. Maybe he can’t envision working at 70 years old today, but if he’s feeling good and still enjoying it, there’s no reason Aikman can’t change his mind.
