Minnesota Vikings fans may be seeing less of Joe Buck in the future.
No, the 52-year-old isn’t retiring, but according to a report, he is leaving FOX Sports to become the play-by-play voice for ESPN’s “Monday Night Football.”
Andrew Marchand of the New York Post reports that FOX has granted ESPN permission to talk with Buck on a new deal. Buck has one year and $11 million remaining on his contract but FOX is reportedly letting him out of his deal early as a good gesture for his years of service with the company.
Per the report, Buck is expected to strike a five-year deal in the range of $60-$75 million. He would also rejoin Troy Aikman, who signed a five-year, $92.5 million deal to become the color commentator for Monday Night Football.
Getting Buck would be a huge deal for ESPN. Since joining FOX in 1994, he has called six Super Bowls and has been the play-by-play voice for 23 of the past 25 World Series. But that means little to Vikings fans, who have dubbed Buck as their broadcasting nemesis.
Buck’s tension with Vikings fans began in 2004, when he called Randy Moss’s mooning celebration at Lambeau Field “a disgusting act.” It continued throughout the years as he’s heaped praise on fellow Aaron Rodgers and the Green Bay Packers.
Buck was also on the mic in January 2018 when Stefon Diggs caught “The Minneapolis Miracle” from Case Keenum, which was, to be fair, a great call. But some Vikings fans will feel better knowing that a potential pairing with Sean Payton is also out the window.
While Vikings fans can still get their Buck fix on Monday nights, it’s more likely they’ll flip over to watch the Manningcast.
