Troy Aikman blasted his former boss, Jerry Jones, on Monday and said Jones has no real plan to restore the Dallas Cowboys to greatness. Aikman was irked at Jones for not bringing back head coach Mike McCarthy. Further, he said the Cowboys’ job is not as regal as it once was.
Troy Aikman Said Jerry Jones Has No Real Plan To Reinstate Cowboys’ Greatness
Aikman, a Pro Football Hall of Famer and ESPN Monday Night Football commentator, said on Monday that Jones surprised him by not bringing McCarthy back as head coach. He also questioned whether or not the Dallas job is what it once was.
“I thought Mike McCarthy would be the head coach, so this is a bit of a surprise for me today,” Aikman said. “It suggests that there’s not a real plan. … To say that it’s a coveted job, I’m not sure I would necessarily agree with that.”
Aikman was interviewed on the Monday Night Football pregame show ahead of the game between the Los Angeles Rams and Minnesota Vikings. He was asked about what the Cowboys did and did not hold back.
This should come as no surprise to anyone who is a fan of the Cowboys. Aikman has gone on the record on numerous occasions backing McCarthy. He also has no problem with subtle jabs at Jones, his former boss.
Troy Aikman on the Dallas Cowboys: "I thought Mike McCarthy would be the head coach, so this is a bit of a surprise for me today… It suggests that there's not a real plan… To say that it's a coveted job, I'm not sure I would necessarily agree with that." 🏈🔥🎙️#NFL pic.twitter.com/M6cmb1dOaO
— Awful Announcing (@awfulannouncing) January 13, 2025
Jones will hire his ninth coach since he bought the team in 1989, assuming McCarthy does not return. For all the years Jones did not own the team, the first 29 in franchise history, they had one coach, the late, great Tom Landry.
Aikman also took exception to the idea that Dallas is a coveted job. With the turnstile of coaches, Jones keeps rolling in, the luster has come off of the star just a bit.
“As far as a coveted job, I don’t know that that’s accurate,” Aikman said. “I do think the Cowboys are obviously a high-profile team, and whoever is head coach of that team is certainly going to draw a lot of attention. But I think most football people that take over as a head coach want to do it on their terms, and that’s hard to do [in Dallas].
“You take a Dan Campbell, for instance. Is Dan Campbell Dan Campbell if he’s with the Dallas Cowboys? It’s hard to imagine that he is. It’s hard to imagine that a lot of these coaches might be.
“I love the Dallas Cowboys. I played there for 12 years. I wish them well. But to say it’s a coveted job, I’m not sure I would necessarily agree with that.”