Troy Aikman and Joe Buck have spent 25 seasons explaining what went wrong for others on the football field. Now viewers are picking apart their partnership, and there is very little agreement about who deserves the blame.

New reporting on the ESPN broadcasters’ deteriorating relationship has fans defending the Dallas Cowboys legend, questioning his anger at Buck, and wondering how the network let its biggest booth become appointment reading between games.

Troy Aikman’s Rift With Joe Buck Splits NFL Fans

Andrew Marchand’sreport for The Athletic detailed an Oct. 12 confrontation at SoFi Stadium, where Aikman and Buck argued before the Buffalo Bills faced the Los Angeles Rams. Earlier that day, Aikman had told ESPN chairman Jimmy Pitaro he could continue working with Buck.

At the center of the dispute is Buck’s six-year, $108 million extension, negotiated without Aikman being informed. Aikman remains without a new agreement. According to Marchand, Buck denied responsibility for that situation, while Aikman viewed his partner’s handling of events as a betrayal.

That account drew a blunt response from sports reporter Adam Rossow.

“Troy is coming off pretty petty the more information we get,”Rossow wrote.

One fan captured the spectacle: “Like a messy divorce being made public 😂,”the fan wrote.

There is plenty of shared history to divide up. The pair called six Super Bowls together at Fox before moving to ESPN in 2022 on deals reported to run five years, positioning them to call ESPN’s first Super Bowl together in February 2027.

Some readers saw the argument as evidence that a friendship had failed its biggest test.One user on X wrote, “The fact that this story made it to the public means it’s over for Aikman. Buddy learned a hard lesson in how loyalty is viewed by different people.”

Another aimed directly at Buck,writing, “Joe Buck comes across exactly as the kind of [expletive] that would backstab a coworker.”

That accusation reflects the fan’s interpretation. Marchand’s reporting describescompeting accounts of the relationship, with Buck’s side blaming Aikman for friction with the production staff and Aikman’s side suspecting Buck of maneuvering behind the scenes.

ESPN Gets Its Share of the Blame Before Super Bowl Broadcast

Other fans focused on the people signing the checks. Even among those sympathetic to Aikman, there was a distinction between faulting ESPN’s handling of his contract and blaming Buck for securing his own.

“While I don’t agree with Aikman taking it out on Buck, I totally side with him against ESPN. What a massive flub, to have this cloud hanging over the broadcast, leading up to the network’s first Super Bowl in forever,”one fan wrote.

ESPN has never televised a Super Bowl, making the upcoming assignment a significant milestone. The network hired this partnership to stabilize “Monday Night Football,” and now its preparation includes questions about whether the announcers can keep working together.

“I blame ESPN. They should have talked to Troy before this got out of hand. Troy will land on his feet but ESPN did wrong & it’s not the first time 🤷🏻‍♀️,”a fan added.

The uncertainty has some viewers predicting a breakup before the regular season ends.

“I said this a few weeks ago but I think it is becoming very likely this pairing doesn’t make it to week 17,”one user wrote.

For now, that remains speculation. Marchand reported that the plan is for Buck and Aikman to finish the season together, including Super Bowl 61 on Feb. 14. ESPN declined to make the pair or its senior executives available for on-the-record interviews.

The next assignment still requires them to share a booth. Fans already have enough material to argue through halftime.