Not everyone believes the Dallas Cowboys can continue to light things up on offense in 2026 as they did in 2025.
The No. 1 hater leading that contingent is former Cowboys quarterback, 3-time Super Bowl champion, and Pro Football Hall of Famer Troy Aikman.
During an appearance on ESPN’s “Get Up” on Tuesday morning, Aikman went out of his way to throw cold water on any notion Dallas could continue to put up numbers similar to 2025, when they finished No. 2 in the NFL in total offense.
Keep in mind, Aikman now works for another NFL team after taking a job as a special consultant with the Miami Dolphins in January. That move continued a 20-plus year love affair between Aikman and the Dolphins — he reportedly tried to come out of retirement in 2003 to play for the Dolphins and head coach Norv Turner, who was his offensive coordinator with the Cowboys from 1991 to 1993.
“Can the offense continue to play at that level? That’s a big ‘if’ because there were career years for George Pickens and Javonte Williams,” Aikman said. “The offense was so prolific last year. … If you’re a Cowboys fan, you hope the offensive numbers don’t look as good, because that would then mean that the defense is better.”
Aikman, 59, is the color commentator for “Monday Night Football” and has been in the broadcast booth since his career ended in 2001.
Fins Wanted Troy Aikman’s Help With GM Search
While Aikman was said to have been brought on to help with the Dolphins’ search for a new general manager — they hired Jon-Eric Sullivan on January 9 — it’s hard to believe that’s the only thing the organization wanted to pick his brain about.
The Dolphins haven’t advanced past the AFC Wild Card Round since 2000, which was the 1st season after Hall of Famer Dan Marino’s retirement.
“The Miami Dolphins have brought on Hall of Fame quarterback and ESPN analyst Troy Aikman as a consultant to advise the organization on its general manager search process, according to sources,” ESPN’s Adam Schefter wrote on January 1. “It is not a permanent role, but he will be an adviser throughout the process for the Dolphins’ next general manager. Miami ownership wanted an outside respected perspective from someone who had strong relationships across the league. Aikman brings this after more than three decades as an NFL player and broadcaster.”
Maybe Cowboys Should Try and Get Some Advice
The ironic thing here is that the team that could probably use Aikman’s advice the most is the Cowboys, who haven’t played in the NFC Championship Game since the 1995 season, when Aikman was still the quarterback.
Don’t expect that conversation to happen anytime soon. The Cowboys are in a unique situation where 83-year-old owner Jerry Jones also still serves as the team’s full-time general manager. It was Jones who selected Aikman at No. 1 overall in the 1989 NFL draft out of UCLA, and just 2 months after he purchased the team from H.R. “Bum” Bright for $140 million.
The Cowboys, who are now worth an estimated $10 billion, are coming off consecutive losing seasons and haven’t made the playoffs since 2023.
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