When former Dallas Cowboys quarterback Troy Aikman and Joe Buck started the 2026 season, it seemed the veteran commentators would stay with ESPN for many more years to come. But things don’t seem to be clicking at this point. Buck has certainly signed a six-year deal. However, ESPN has yet to extend Aikman, Buck’s booth partner, and reports have also suggested tension between the two commentators.

Per Ryan Glasspiegel of Front Office Sports, “there has been tension” between Aikman and Buck, as the long-time on-air partners reportedly had an argument before the Buffalo Bills-Los Angeles Rams Monday Night Football game. Since then, Aikman has acknowledged that “I’ll be a free agent at the end of the year.” Certainly, it raises a question: if Aikman leaves ESPN next year, who will be Buck’s on-air partner?

As Aikman’s comments gained traction, former Cincinnati Bengals wide receiver Chad “Ocho” Johnson expressed his interest in joining ESPN’s Monday Night Football in 2027, writing:

“Ocho & Joe Buck❔”

For now, it’s too early to predict whether ESPN will part ways with Aikman. Ocho, meanwhile, has an established media career, including television analysis, sports podcasts, and soccer coverage. As things stand, he co-hosts the Nightcap podcast with Shannon Sharpe and Joe Johnson, where they discuss NFL news.

At the same time, Ocho also serves as an analyst on The CW’s Inside the NFL, presented by former NFL star Ryan Clark. Meanwhile, he also worked as an analyst on FIFA World Cup Tonight during the 2022 World Cup in Qatar. And just a month ago, Ocho acknowledged why he loves to be in the media.

“It’s been cool,” said Chad Johnson in a conversation with Fernando Ramirez on the Compass On The Beat. “It’s been cool because the platform that I’m a part of, I can be myself. Anytime I can be myself, you get the best version of who I am.”

But for now, it’s too early to say whether Ocho’s interest in becoming Troy Aikman’s replacement will materialize, considering his highly publicized controversies both on and off the field. During his NFL career, Ocho was known for his elaborate touchdown celebrations, including pretending to perform CPR on a football and using an end-zone pylon as a golf club.

In 2009, the NFL fined him $30,000 for a celebration involving a poncho and sombrero. He was also fined $20,000 for pretending to bribe a referee with a dollar bill. This is why, while Ocho remains one of the league’s most recognizable figures, he’s also known for his controversies, including a highly publicized domestic violence case in 2012.

His interest in ESPN’s job came right after Troy Aikman addressed the tension between him and Buck, as well as his future with ESPN, while appearing on 96.7 The Ticket this morning.

“There’s probably a time and a place for all that,” said Aikman, per Joseph Hoyt of Dallas Morning News. “I don’t know if now is the time. I don’t know if it’s hard to figure out kind of what happened. I’ll broadcast through this season and I’ll be a free agent at the end of the year and kind of see what happens. I’m looking forward to whatever the rest of this season does hold and the Super Bowl and all that and where my next landing spot may be.”

ESPN reportedly signed Joe Buck on a six-year, $108 million deal. But at the same time, Aikman has yet to sign a deal with the network and will become a free agent after the conclusion of the 2026 season.