Troy Aikman back in the Cowboys building used to feel like pure fan fantasy. Now, after Jerry Jones opened the door himself, it sounds a lot less far-fetched than it did a week ago.
Jones was asked Monday on 105.3 The Fan about the idea of bringing his former quarterback into Dallas’ front office, and he did not wave it off. Quite the opposite. His comments came after Aikman was already in the news for sounding less than thrilled about the Cowboys’ outlook following Monday night’s win in Philadelphia, even if that result was never going to tell the full story about the team’s season.
The bigger development, though, is that Aikman’s broadcast future looks uncertain, and that matters here.
Aikman appears headed for a split from ESPN after the season. Per reports, he was not kept in the loop when Joe Buck quietly worked out a new six-year, $108 million extension with the network to remain on Monday Night Football. Aikman’s own deal expires after the season, and he more or less said as much during an appearance on 96.7 The Ticket in Dallas.
"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. "I’m looking forward to whatever the rest of this season does hold, and the Super Bowl and all that, and where my next landing spot may be.”
That line matters because it points to a real opening. The Buck-Aikman pairing has been together for 25 years, but that stretch may be ending.
Aikman is not likely to be out of work next season - the broadcast market figures to shift, and ESPN may need to make a move of its own. CBS Sports recently brought in J.J.
Watt as its lead analyst after cutting ties with Tony Romo earlier this month following Romo’s arrest in Wisconsin for operating a vehicle while intoxicated (OWI). Amazon Prime Video could also be a landing spot if it decides to move on from Kirk Herbstreit, whose contract reportedly gives the company an out.
The Al Michaels-Herbstreit booth has drawn criticism this season, and Prime has the freedom to pivot if it wants an upgrade.
Aikman has also already shown he’s open to life outside the booth. He consulted for the Miami Dolphins during their general manager and coaching search this offseason.
Tom Brady has managed a broadcasting job while also serving as a minority owner of the Las Vegas Raiders. But a full-time role with the Cowboys would be different.
If Aikman were brought in to help run the front office, that would almost certainly end any chance of continuing to call games.
That’s why Jones’ openness is worth watching.
He hasn’t sounded like this before, and that may be tied to the way he has handled the aftermath of the Micah Parsons trade. Jones’ approach this offseason has had a different feel - more serious, more direct, less of the familiar Cowboys-owner theater. The Parsons fallout seems to have forced his hand, and since then he has acted with more urgency and, at times, more willingness to change course.
Jones gave Brian Schottenheimer control over the defensive coordinator search and backed the hiring of the youngest DC in franchise history. He could have leaned back into old comfort food - Mike Zimmer again, maybe another veteran head coach, maybe even Wade Phillips - but instead he went another direction.
There’s also the list of personnel swings that have followed: trading for Quinnen Williams, trading for Joey Porter Jr., signing Jalen Thompson, trading up to draft Caleb Downs. The Cowboys were also close to landing Maxx Crosby.
Maybe all of that amounts to nothing more than a more active offseason. But it does suggest a version of Jones that is at least more open to a bold move than he used to be. Putting meaningful personnel power in the hands of Aikman would still be a massive step, but it no longer sounds like a fantasy you can dismiss immediately.
Then there’s Jones’ own answer.
After he and Aikman were seen talking at length before kickoff on Monday night, 105.3 The Fan asked Jones directly whether he would consider bringing Aikman into the front office.
“Yes, I could and would," Jones said. "It’s that simple because I do think that much of him and his command of NFL knowledge and football.
He is qualified to do anything ... Don't rule it out.
It is very possible."
Those are about as strong a words of encouragement as Jones has ever given on this idea. And because this is Jerry Jones, there’s another layer to it.
The last time he was publicly tied to a former player in a big way, the Deion Sanders coaching chatter took over the league after the Cowboys and Mike McCarthy went their separate ways. That whole buzz cycle collapsed once Colorado gave Sanders a contract extension. There was always a sense that both sides benefited from the noise, even if nothing came of it.
This could work the same way. Jones gets attention.
Aikman gains leverage with any network interested in hiring him. The idea of a return to Dallas becomes a real talking point instead of a nostalgic daydream.
It still belongs in the show-me category. But after Jones’ remarks, that category looks a lot more crowded than it used to.
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