Jerry Jones isn’t playing coy about Troy Aikman.
With Aikman’s ESPN deal nearing its end after this season and no clear sign of a new contract coming, the Hall of Fame quarterback is suddenly at the center of a familiar question: could his next move be with the Dallas Cowboys? Jones made his stance plain when asked Tuesday on 105.3 The Fan.
"Yes, I could and would," he said (H/T Patrik Walker). "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.
That answer keeps alive an idea that has hovered around the Cowboys before. Aikman has limited front office experience, with his only real taste of that world coming in Miami, where he served as a consultant during the Dolphins’ general manager search. Still, Jones clearly values what Aikman brings to the table, and the timing of Monday night’s sideline conversation between the two only fueled the speculation.
Aikman and Jones were seen talking on the field for about 10 minutes before Dallas faced the Philadelphia Eagles, and the internet quickly ran with the possibility that the meeting had something to do with a front office job. There’s no way to know what was actually discussed, but the buzz followed almost immediately.
Aikman has already made his own feelings on the matter known. Speaking to Mike Fisher, he said he’d be willing to at least hear Jerry out if the Cowboys ever came calling.
"I would welcome any conversation with Jerry, and quite honestly I don't know if there ever would be an opportunity," Aikman said to Mike Fisher.
"But if Jerry came to me and felt in his heart that I could lend some services that would help make them better, I'd have a hard time not taking a good look at that," Aikman added.
The key question is what kind of role Aikman would actually want. A small advisory spot?
That seems workable. A seat with real authority and meaningful decision-making power?
That’s where things get complicated. Jerry Jones is not about to hand over control, and Aikman would know that as well as anyone.
Meanwhile, Aikman’s broadcasting future looks shaky. Jones aside, it appears ESPN has no interest in extending his contract, which would leave him in free agency as a broadcaster after this season. And Aikman himself has acknowledged what that uncertainty feels like.
"As I'm into my last year at ESPN, I'm realizing that this is something that could very well be taken away from me," Aikman said to Fisher. "For the first time, I'm realizing how much I really do - I've always enjoyed it.
I've always known that. But until you risk having something taken away from you, I think sometimes you tend to maybe take things for granted."
That uncertainty has also reportedly spilled into his working relationship with Joe Buck, with the pair said to have had a heated exchange before the Monday Night Football game on Oct. 12.
“It nearly got physical off air,” a source told In Touch Weekly. “They were very close from coming to blows.”
Whether Aikman gets another broadcasting job remains to be seen. If that door closes, an NFL front office role could be next - with Dallas lingering as the most obvious possibility, even if it would have to be on Jerry’s terms.
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