No one is predicting that Tony Romo will replace Troy Aikman as Monday Night Football’s new analyst next season, but it certainly looked like auditioning on ESPN2 during the Minnesota Vikings-Buffalo Bills game.
Romo, who mutually agreed to part ways with CBS as that network’s lead NFL game analyst following an OWI arrest and conviction earlier this year, made a surprise appearance on Pat McAfee’s alternative TV show Monday night.
Romo, appearing in a picture-in-picture setup from a remote location, was making his first appearance on any platform since his arrest in August.
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And he was, well, great.
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Former NFL quarterback Tony Romo talks with Patrick Mahomes (15) of the Kansas City Chiefs and Brittany Mahomes after the AFC Championship Game against the Baltimore Ravens at M&T Bank Stadium on January 28, 2024 in Baltimore, Maryland. (Kara Durrette/Getty Images)
More importantly, he was better than Aikman, who is the regular analyst on ESPN’s “Monday Night Football.” (More on that in a minute).
First, Romo’s appearance on ESPN2: It wasn’t promoted. It just happened and it was nostalgic, with Romo sharing his deep reservoir of football knowledge and his ability to explain it.
Romo, for example, intervened when Bills linebacker Bradley Chubb anticipated and nearly intercepted a screen pass from Carson Wentz to Justin Jefferson and he pointed out that offenses do sure things to win games, but that’s no way to win a championship.
“It plays to the point that you play it safe,” Romo noted. “It’s almost like you’re calling the play to make the game safe, so it’s close, because our defense can win it.
“I tell myself there are ways, there’s always a way to win games. But we always have to look at things a little bit better if we want to win the Super Bowl.”
ESPN commentator Troy Aikman looks on before the game between the Chicago Bears and the Philadelphia Eagles at Soldier Field on September 28, 2026, in Chicago, Illinois. (Getty Images)
It’s a great idea and a major contrast to what ESPN typically gets from Aikman, who often repeats what Joe Buck says — “massive call,” he repeated during a push-push conversion from Josh Allen — or what viewers have already seen with their own eyes.
Aikman, also a former Dallas Cowboys quarterback like Romo, told the ESPN audience that Jefferson moving before the snap was bad.
“You can’t have penalties before the snap,” Aikman said, “but especially not a wide receiver.”
Deep.
Sportscaster and former NFL player Troy Aikman and sportscaster Joe Buck watch before a game between the Buffalo Bills and the Denver Broncos at Highmark Stadium in Orchard Park, NY on November 13, 2023. (Getty Images)
We know Aikman had his disagreement with ESPN this year and did not sign on beyond the network’s broadcast of Super Bowl LXI on February 14, 2027.
The story that he didn’t sign but Buck signed a new deal last month has led to speculation about what the Monday Night Football booth will look like next year.
So, Romo instead of Aikman?
At one point, Aikman asked Buck if they should talk about Jefferson’s necklace.
ESPN cameras showed a slow-motion view of Jefferson’s necklaces jumping up and down in all their diamond-studded glory during pregame warmups.
“I guess it’s assured,” Aikman said in his best jeweler’s expertise. “I can’t imagine wearing this on a football field. I can’t imagine wearing it, but I might try if someone lends me some money.”
Pat McAfee appears on the ESPN Monday Night Countdown at SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, California on September 21, 2026. (IMAGINE IMAGES via Reuters Connect)
Was this a scam on Buck?
Romo, meanwhile, gave McAfee viewers a great explanation of the problems a quarterback faces when the Vikings defense, drafted by defensive coordinator Brian Flores, is on the other side of the line of scrimmage and blitzing on almost every down.
“Josh Allen is dealing with a hurricane right now and you don’t realize it until you go against it,” Romo said. “Now I think Minnesota, when they started doing all that blitzing, they changed the game…
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“They have seven guys on the line there. But they’re only going to rush five. Your job as a quarterback is to figure out which five are going to be blocked by your five offensive linemen.
“Then the sixth guy is your running back guy. And then all of a sudden you’re going to be trying to figure out, should I use the tight end to block an extra guy? Are they coming or not coming? And then it’s like, OK, whatever, everyone? And so it’s all chaotic.
“Your job as a quarterback is to say, ‘What do they do most of the time?’ Simplify the game.”
This is a succinct explanation of what to do against a complex defense. This is what makes Romo exceptional. That’s what suggests he’ll be back in the booth in 2027 — maybe even on Monday Night Football.
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