MORE fiery details have emerged from Troy Aikman’s explosive feud with Joe Buck over their ESPN contracts.

Buck, 57, and Aikman, 59, have worked together for 25 seasons in the NFL and were an inseparable duo until very recently.

They joined ESPN together from Fox Sports in 2022 on five-year deals, set to expire at the end of this season.

It is there where the major issue between Buck and Aikman lies after the former signed a mega six-year, $108 million deal in late September.

Meanwhile, Aikman remains without a contract extension on the table and it looks increasingly unlikely that he will be offered one.

The realisation has dawned on the former Cowboys quarterback that it might well be his final year in the ESPN No.1 booth.

And while it has left him somewhat emotional when asked publicly, there is a clear element of anger with his partner behind-the-scenes.

It recently emerged that Aikman feels betrayed by Buck over it all, with the specific wording of, “You f***ed me over!” apparently used by Aikman.

Now, in the latest instalment of the dramatic feud between the pair, a new report from The Athletic says Aikman also got into an argument with ESPN Chairman Jimmy Pitaro over it.

It apparently occurred right before Buck and Aikman’s dispute ahead of Monday Night Football between the Bills and the Rams in Week 5.

The tense one-hour chat ended with Pitaro asking Aikman one simple question, “Could you still work with Joe?”

He responded that he could, although what transpired later that evening with Buck being forced to ‘break the ice’ might have indicated otherwise.

The reports have suggested that Aikman felt Buck’s secretiveness over his new deal was a major factor in the current fissure between them.

Meanwhile, Buck reportedly felt it was how Aikman has conducted business while they were together, including him leaving for Fox without assurances of Buck being able to follow.

The underlying tension at ESPN has been there for a while, epitomized by the pair going through five producers and directors in four years.

According to sources familiar with Buck’s point of view, Aikman’s barking orders for replays he wanted made working with him untenable for production staff.

Meanwhile, sources on Aikman’s side believe that Buck is “a master of manipulating to get what he wants.”

The Athletic’s report then pivoted back to the spat at SoFi Stadium, which apparently began with Buck saying, “You are not going to f***ing talk to me?”

He later defended himself by adding to Aikman during the argument, “I’m not the reason you don’t have a contract.”

Aikman’s response was a blunt one, commenting back to his booth partner, “I just never thought you’d do it to me.”

The former Cowboys quarterback apparently believed that Buck was a key reason for the production turnover, only for Buck to correct him.

He fired back, “They got rid of them because you were screaming at them.”

It all makes for very interesting reading considering that the culmination of ESPN’s 2026 season ends with the pair calling the Super Bowl, or is at least meant to.