ESPN locks in Buck with six-year, $108M extension, signaling a star-first strategy

ESPN signed Joe Buck to a six-year extension worth about $108 million, boosting his annual pay to around $18 million and making him ESPN’s third-highest-paid on-air talent behind Stephen A. Smith and Pat McAfee. The deal reinforces Buck's marquee pairing with Troy Aikman, who is reportedly unsigned but expected to re-sign, as ESPN pursues a star-first talent strategy even as the network has laid off other on-air staff.