Fox didn’t make an offer to keep Troy Aikman in ‘strange’ decision

Troy Aikman insists he was ready to stay at Fox for a 22nd year, but the network never made him a final offer.

Instead, the NFL color commentator recently made the jump to ESPN on a five-year deal in the $90 million-and-change range, The Post’s Andrew Marchand reported.

“It is a strange set of circumstances that led me to where I am now and not be back at Fox,” Aikman said Tuesday on Sportsradio 96.7 and 1310 The Ticket in Dallas. “And I never would have envisioned that six months ago and so it is strange. When negotiations couldn’t reach, what I felt was fair value, I was able to negotiate an opt-out after six months which allowed me to be a free agent.

“Then Fox never jumped into the game. They never made an offer. I didn’t have any conversations with Fox, until I got a call to congratulate me on my new deal. So that was a decision they made and it’s fine.”

Before the 2021 season, the former Cowboys quarterback and Fox had worked out a four-year extension at $13.2 million per year, The Post previously reported. But there was a potential opt out after the season if Aikman were to secure a bigger and better deal.

That offer finally came from ESPN, which swooped in and gave Aikman the kind of money Tony Romo is getting from CBS.

“Some will look at it and say, ‘Troy ultimately went where the money led him,’ which is not true,” Aikman said. “Initially my plan was to stay at Fox, but as I said, that was a decision they made and I went a different route.”

Now the question is whether his former Fox play-by-play partner Joe Buck could follow him to ESPN.

“I wouldn’t rule that out, which I would love,” Aikman said.