Joe Buck was one of the beneficiaries of a major rise in NFL broadcaster salaries in recent years, and it sounds like he knows who to thank.
Buck moved from FOX to ESPN in the offseason for a reported $75 million over five years, with partner Troy Aikman getting $90 million over the same period. Those deals come on the heels of Tony Romo’s $17 million extension with CBS in 2020, a contract that essentially reset the market for NFL broadcaster salaries.
In an appearance on “The Marchand and Ourand Sports Media Podcast” this week, Buck shared a hilarious story about an encounter he says he had with Romo at the annual American Century Championship celebrity pro-am tournament in July.
— Andrew Marchand (@AndrewMarchand) August 30, 2022
“All I know is I saw Romo at the Tahoe golf tournament. I’m eating dinner with the guy that I brought there to caddie,” Buck said. “[Romo] walks by and all he says is, ‘you’re welcome,’ and then he kept walking.”
Romo has a point. It’s highly unlikely that Buck and Aikman would have received nearly as much money as they did if Romo didn’t push for and get the contract he received from CBS. In fact, Romo is probably owed an even bigger thank-you by one future NFL broadcaster who will be making even more money than all of them.
