Troy Aikman leaving Fox Sports to become ESPN Monday Night Football lead analyst, report says

Troy Aikman is on the verge of leaving Fox Sports to become the lead analyst for ESPN’s "Monday Night Football," The New York Post reported on Wednesday night.

Aikman, 55, has been at Fox since he retired as the Cowboys quarterback after the 2000 season and is Joe Buck’s partner on that network’s lead announcing team.

Louis Riddick and Brian Griese have been ESPN’s lead analysts over the past two seasons, alongside play-by-play man Steve Levy.

Assuming Aikman’s contract is finalized, it will be the first of what figure to be several moves in the top ranks of NFL announcing this offseason.

Buck would need a new lead analyst at Fox. Meanwhile, play-by-play man Al Michaels is a free agent after his contract expired at NBC following the Super Bowl.

And Amazon is looking for a new announcing team for its first season on the "Thursday Night Football" package.

By Neil Best

neil.best@newsday.com@sportswatch

Neil Best first worked at Newsday in 1982, returned in 1985 after a detour to Alaska and has been here since, specializing in high schools, college basketball, the NFL and most recently sports media and business.