Cowboys’ legend Troy Aikman talks second retirement, missed opportunity

After a 12-year NFL career as the Dallas Cowboys’ starting quarterback, Troy Aikman, called it a career in 2000. After 22 years in the broadcast booth, he’s coming to terms with an approaching second retirement.

During a recent appearance on Dallas radio station 1310 AM The Ticket, Aikman — who turns 57 in November — hinted his days in the broadcast booth are coming to an end.

“I always have been [mindful] of our time being limited,” he said during the show. “So, I posed the question to myself a lot that, you know, if you’ve got ‘X’ number of years left, what exactly do you want to do with that time?”

Aikman did not set a firm date, but his current contract with ESPN for Monday Night Football expires at the end of the 2026 season. That’s also the next season ESPN/ABC is slated to broadcast the Super Bowl.

A Nice Run On The Field

Aikman went 63-24 (.724) during a six-consecutive-year run of Pro Bowls. He finished 94-71 overall in the regular season as a starter.

He finished 11-4 in the playoffs, 3-1 in the NFC Conference game and 3-0 in the Super Bowl. But he also missed 27 games due to injury.

Aikman, like Roger Staubach, took a beating on the field. Both men played in an era where the quarterbacks didn’t enjoy the protections of today’s signal callers.

Troy Aikman warms up prior to the Dallas Cowboys playing the Phoenix Cardinals on Nov. 22, 1992 in Tempe. Arizona. Photo by Richard Paolinelli.

He managed to last one more year than Staubach and won one more Super Bowl. Staubach did have the better final winning percentage and one more Super Bowl appearance.

But both Cowboys’ legends were battered and bruised. It was time to move on for Roger after the 1979 season and Aikman after the 2000 campaign.

Broadcasting Booth Beckons

In 1997, on the way back from a road victory, Dallas’ radio broadcaster, Brad Sham, may have put Aikman on the path to a second career.

Sham made his way up the plane to long snapper Dale Hellestrae, a color analyst for Fox Sports’ coverage of NFL Europe. Sham wanted to get in on the gig.

After overhearing the two men, Aikman wanted in too. He and Sham ended up covering the now-shuttered league from 1998-2000.

When Aikman retired, he joined Dick Stockton and Daryl Johnston as Fox Sports’ No. 2 broadcast team in 2001. The next year, he was promoted to the No. 1 team with Joe Buck.

The partnership has lasted ever since. It even survived jumping ship from Fox Sports to ESPN last season. Their contracts were reportedly for five years and roughly $90 million each.

What Might Have Been

During the interview on The Ticket, Aikman surmised his window of opportunity to become an NFL General Manager has probably closed. It was a position he aspired to early in his retirement.

So why did no one come calling? It could be that Aikman was holding out to be the Cowboys’ General Manager.

Aikman might have figured at some point Jerry Jones would offer him the job. But he likely underestimated Jerry’s desire to win a Super Bowl as “The Guy” without Jimmy Johnson.

It’s unlikely Jones will ever name anyone as the general manager while he’s alive. And Aikman, at 57, realizes that the time and energy needed for the job might not lie within him any longer.

The Future

So when will Aikman hang it up in the broadcast booth? Disclaimer: I haven’t spoken one-on-one with Aikman since a 1993 post-game interview following a Dallas win at the Arizona Cardinals.

So I have no direct insight into what he’s thinking here. All I can rely on is long-term observation, listening to what he says, and how he says it.

As mentioned above, his current contract with ESPN ends at the conclusion of the 2026 season. ESPN/ABC will broadcast Super Bowl LXI on February 14, 2027, with Aikman and Buck in the booth.

Aikman was denied departing the league as a Super Bowl champion, not even as a participant. So what better time to call your final game than the Super Bowl?

My take? He retires after that game. And, as the site of that Super Bowl is still undetermined, if it will be his last game, maybe the NFL can arrange to have it played at AT&T Stadium in Arlington?

Just a thought, Mr. Goodell. Just a thought.