https://nypost.com/2022/02/23/troy-aikman-close-to-leaving-fox-for-monday-night-football/

Aikman's potential move "will shake-up NFL TV free agency," reports (https://awfulannouncing.com/espn/troy-aikman-espn-monday-night-football-analyst-amazon.html) the New York Post's Andrew Marchand, noting that it will give MNF its long-wanted A-level NFL analyst. Marchand adds: "Aikman’s ESPN deal will be for five years, according to sources, and his yearly salary is expected to approach or exceed the neighborhood of Tony Romo’s $17.5 million per year contract with CBS. The deal is not yet signed, but it is near completion."

With Fox airing next year's Super Bowl, losing Troy Aikman to ESPN's Monday Night Football would leave a massive hole to fill (https://www.si.com/extra-mustard/2022/02/24/troy-aikman-leaving-fox-joining-espn-monday-night-football)

Fox's No. 1 NFL broadcasting team of Joe Buck and Aikman "worked together for 20 years and developed a genuine friendship off the air," says Jimmy Traina. "Many regarded them as the top crew in the game. Now Buck is left without a partner (https://nypost.com/2022/02/23/troy-aikman-close-to-leaving-fox-for-monday-night-football/) and the pickings for a replacement seem to be slim." He adds: "What complicates matters even more for Fox is that they have the Super Bowl in 2023 and again in 2025." Traina suggests going after the recently retired Tom Brady, despite his lack of broadcast experience. "Fox needs to go big in order to replace Aikman," he says. "There’s no one bigger than Tom Brady."

Troy Aikman: Fox didn't try to stop me from leaving for ESPN (https://awfulannouncing.com/fox/troy-aikman-fox-fair-value-no-final-offer.html)

"It is a strange set of circumstances that led me to where I am now and not be back at Fox," says the former longtime NFL on Fox broadcaster, who's joining the Monday Night Football booth, in an interview with Sportsradio 96.7 and 1310 The Ticket in Dallas. He added that "Fox never jumped into the game. They never made an offer. I didn’t have any conversations with Fox, until I got a call to congratulate me on my new deal. So that was a decision they made and it’s fine.”

Troy Aikman says "I guess it's disappointing" Fox didn't talk to him before he left for ESPN (https://www.si.com/extra-mustard/2022/03/21/troy-aikman-espn-fox-monday-night-football-si-media-podcast)

Aikman says his first conversation with Fox Sports president Eric Shanks over his contract expiring was when he called to congratulate him for moving to Monday Night Football. “I guess it’s disappointing," Aikman, who was at Fox Sports for 21 years, tells Sports Illustrated. "I would’ve thought there would’ve been a conversation at least. And then when I did talk with him, I just asked for an explanation on some things that I didn’t quite understand, and he opted not to do that as well. I guess that’s where it’s left and that’s how I’ll leave Fox and that’s fine. I’m excited about ESPN and thrilled to continue to work with Joe (Buck)." ALSO: Al Michaels and his representatives reached out to Fox, but the network opted to stick with Kevin Burkhardt as the new No. 1 play-by-play NFL announcer (https://www.thebiglead.com/posts/al-michaels-amazon-contract-fox-joe-buck-01fypq7am2ej).