The Dallas Cowboys are a storied franchise built by Hall of Fame players who know what success looks like. Roger Staubach, Drew Pearson, Emmitt Smith, Michael Irvin, and, of course, Troy Aikman. All of these men held a Lombardi Trophy at one point in time for the franchise. If there was ever a question about what success should look like in the NFL, picking someone from this group to impart some wisdom would be beneficial.
Well, it’s the Miami Dolphins who are getting some assistance with team building
by bringing in Aikman as a consultant. Originally, Aikman aided in the search for the Dolphins’ next head coach and general manager. They landed on Jeff Hafley as their coach and Jon Eric-Sullivan as their GM. Aikman continues to work with the Dolphins in a role that seems yet to be defined and was present in the Miami war room during the NFL draft.
So why haven’t the Cowboys ever called their former Super Bowl-winning quarterback if he’s shown interest in a role like this before? In a recent episode of DLLS Cowboys, Michael Irvin talked about how much it pains him to see Aikman in a position like this with the Dolphins instead of the Cowboys, and how Aikman wanted to have a John Elway-like role with the team he played for.
As Irvin mentions, he knows Aikman’s role with the team would never be to the level of the control John Elway had with the Denver Broncos. With Jerry Jones still in the picture and Stephen Jones getting ready to take things over in the future, there’s no room for another voice to that degree. Especially with Will McClay heavily involved. It’s a reality Irvin has tried to make peace with, even though it doesn’t make sense to him
Aikman was asked about the same topic during an interview with Clarence Hill Jr. of DLLS Cowboys back in March, and he pretty much closed the door on the possibility of him getting to make any personnel decisions for the Cowboys.
Will McClay doesn’t get to do it in Dallas, and he’s been there a long time…I think the Dolphins were wise in understanding my relationships around the league and knowing that I have information that they don’t have or can’t get. And I think they were smart in taking advantage of that. Whether it was through me or somebody else. The Cowboys have never elected to do that, at least with me, maybe they have with others.
The sample size is small, but there is a path to follow if Aikman wants to ever go from the booth to becoming a general manager. John Lynch has had his losses with the San Francisco 49ers, but many would tell you he’s been a success as their GM since taking over and helping build a team that’s reached two Super Bowls. Who knows if Aikman would reach the same highs as Lynch, but he sounds confident in his ability to do that if the opportunity presented itself.
The Cowboys do like having their former players around as much as possible. In his first season as head coach, Brian Schottenheimer brought back many former members of the organization for a “Legends Day” last year so they could share lessons about football, on and off the field, with the guys in the locker room.
“There’s such great tradition and history here with the Cowboys, and you talk about not just the Super Bowl trophies, but some of the great players,” Schottenheimer said. “We wanted them to kind of see our energy and our juice, the way we like to operate. They paved the way for the guys that sit in those chairs today.
For now, it looks like a legend’s day is as close as Aikman will get to having any sort of sway with the players. Unfortunately, Aikman couldn’t make the event last year because he was traveling in Europe. Maybe it will never be the right timing for the Cowboys and their Hall of Fame quarterback.
