Jerry Jones Says He'd Hire Troy Aikman, Who Doubted Cowboys' Contender Status

Cowboys owner and general manager Jerry Jones said on Dallas radio Tuesday, “Yes, I could and would,” when asked if he would hire Troy Aikman for a serious front-office role, per USA Today.Aikman, the lead analyst on Monday Night Football, answered “Eh, not really” on SportsCenter when asked whether the Cowboys’ win over the Eagles made them contenders.Aikman, 59, has said he will be a broadcasting free agent after he and Joe Buck call the Super Bowl on Feb. 14, 2027.Jones Keeps the Door Open to the Analyst Who Has Criticized HimThe final question of Jerry Jones’ Tuesday interview on 105.3 The Fan in Dallas was whether he would hire Troy Aikman for a serious front-office role. Jones answered, “Yes, I could and would.” Then he put a limit on it. The Cowboys are not necessarily going to do anything more direct with the team “at this time, but don’t rule it out. It’s very possible.”The answer came one day after Aikman, in the building for Dallas’ win over the Philadelphia Eagles on Monday Night Football, was asked on the postgame SportsCenter whether the result made the Cowboys contenders. His reply: “Eh, not really.”What Jones Said, and What He Did Not SayJones did not announce a job, a title or a timetable. He said he thinks highly of Aikman’s command and understanding of NFL football and called him qualified for any of the roles people have raised. “Troy Aikman is just getting started in his life,” Jones said. A moment later he added, “He’s outstanding.”Jones had praised Aikman a week earlier at the owners’ meeting in New York. “He’s very capable of being any number of things, certainly with football, short of getting back out on the field,” Jones said there.The Cowboys front office runs through Jones, who serves as general manager and lead decision-maker. His son Stephen Jones is the chief operating officer, and Will McClay is the vice president of player personnel.Aikman’s Monday Answer and His History With the TeamAikman spoke on the postgame edition of SportsCenter with Scott Van Pelt after Dallas snapped a two-game losing streak. Asked whether the Cowboys are contenders again, he said, “Eh, not really. Not really. And I don’t mean that as a negative.”He called the Eagles “a beat-up Philadelphia team” and added, “let’s not get carried away. They kind of did what you would expect them to do.” Dallas is 3-4 and sits behind the New York Giants in the NFC East.Aikman has been openly critical of the team, and of Jones himself. This offseason, talking about the Cowboys’ Super Bowl drought, he said: “I think it starts at the top. I don’t think Jerry would shy away from that. I think Jerry would certainly take responsibility.” He closed that answer with four words: “And it hasn’t worked out.”Aikman’s Own Opening and the CalendarIn an earlier interview, Aikman said he would work for Jones and the Cowboys if he felt his influence would matter in the direction of the franchise. He has also talked about what comes after the booth. “I’m still young. I feel great,” Aikman said. “I do feel there’s another frontier.”He added: “I still believe it could very well be something else. And what that might be, like, I’m not talking in code by any means. I’m not real sure.”Aikman has said he will be a broadcasting free agent after he and Buck call the Super Bowl on Feb. 14, 2027. He has spent 26 years calling games on national television, and he won three Super Bowls with the Cowboys in the 1990s. He also consulted for the Miami Dolphins on their general manager search in January, which ended with the hire of former Packers executive Jon-Eric Sullivan, and he has served on committees for significant hires at UCLA, his alma mater.Jones has owned the Cowboys for nearly 40 years and remains owner and general manager. By his own words, the team is not necessarily doing anything more direct at this time, and Aikman’s calendar runs to the Super Bowl. In the meantime the Cowboys host the Arizona Cardinals on Sunday at AT&T Stadium.