Former Panthers legend just gave ESPN a perfect solution to its latest problem, and it’s hard to argue against it
With Troy Aikman’s deal with ESPN coming to a close after the 2026 season, former Carolina Panthers linebacker Thomas Davis advocated for the perfect replacement to join Joe Buck on Monday Night Football.
ESPN has an on-going issue brewing that has reached the public attention over the last two weeks when it comes to the “Monday Night Football” broadcast duo of Joe Buck and Hall of Fame quarterback Troy Aikman.
The two have been broadcasting games together for nearly 25 years, but it appears that partnership is heading to an inevitable divorce after the 2026 NFL season and it’s not something that’s been a government secret by any means.
The reasoning behind it, and why this has become more of a public issue, is because Buck recently signed to a new six-year deal with ESPN worth approximately $108 million. In the meantime, Aikman has yet to receive an extension offer from the company and his current contract expires after this season. With that being the reality, it’s entirely likely that these two will call their final game together on ESPN at Super Bowl 61 in February.
“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,” Aikman said last week on KTCK, a Dallas-area radio station.
Multiple options standout as Troy Aikman’s potential replacement, including Luke Kuechly
With Aikman’s days being numbered at ESPN, many have started wondering who could join Buck next season in the “Monday Night Football” booth and ESPN will have plenty of options to consider.
Names such as Tony Romo, Greg Olsen, Mike Tomlin, and yes even Pat McAfee have been floated as potential candidates to take over Aikman’s position in 2027. Another name worth keeping an eye on is another player-turned-commentator in Luke Kuechly.
Since retiring from the Carolina Panthers, and later being enshrined in the Pro Football Hall of Fame, Kuechly has taken up the headset and has been a natural in the booth. Kuechly first joined the Panthers Radio Network as a color commentator in 2022 and then expanded into college football coverage with CBS in 2024 and recently signed with Netflix as the lead NFL analyst this season.
After landing such a big deal with Netflix – and the company looking to get a bigger piece of the broadcasting pie – it’d be hard to see Kuechly jump for the ESPN job so soon. But, it’s a hard job to pass up if ESPN came calling.
Thomas Davis advocates for ESPN to pursue Luke Kuechly as Troy Aikman’s potential replacement
One person who’s very much in favor of Kuechly joining the ESPN booth on Monday night’s is his former linebacker duo and right-hand man from his time in Carolina, Thomas Davis.
“I feel like there’s no better person to put in that position,” Davis said on the Up & Adams Show on Tuesday. “Luke is phenomenal at what he does. He’s going to be one of the most prepared – probably overprepared – people that we will ever see in the booth. . .
“He’s going to speak football, he’s going to speak it to the language to those that might not understand it as much – but those that are advanced and know a lot about football, he’ll be able to relate to them as well. Luke Kuechly would be an amazing fit for ‘Monday Night Football’ so you heard it here first. If you guys are looking to replace Troy, there’s no better replacement than my brother Luke Kuechly.”
That’s quite a strong endorsement and one few people would argue against, especially Panthers fans. Everyone loves Luke Kuechly and to Davis’ point, he would be perfect for a national audience on ESPN breaking down the game at both an in-depth and conversational way for every viewer to enjoy. Like I said, the guy is a natural.
But, if Kuechly prefers to stay at Netflix, Olsen would be another great option. I’d just love to see such an intelligent defensive mind in the ESPN booth that can help elevate the broadcast and provide more insight from that side of the ball.
It could be a massive opportunity for Kuechly and one he would excel at for many many years to come if ESPN goes that direction.
