When a professional athlete retires, the options are endless. Some stay close to the sport and team that made them famous. Others ride off into the sunset and find a new calling. Former Dallas Cowboys quarterback Troy Aikman is a mixture of both, but he's open to "another frontier" in life if the opportunity presents itself.
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Since 2001, Aikman has been with Fox Sports, serving as a color commentator and broadcasting NFL games alongside Joe Buck. It's been a good gig, one that is seemingly natural, but the three-time Super Bowl champion is eyeing a possible change to become an NFL general manager.
Aikman, now 53, told 1310 The Ticket, via Pro Football Talk, that it's something he's "always somewhat entertained."
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It's not uncommon for a former athlete to join an organization in the front office. Ex-NFL safety John Lynch is currently the general manager for the San Francisco 49ers and Hall of Fame quarterback John Elway is the GM for the Denver Broncos, for example.
Although no offer has come his way just yet, Aikman is certainly open to the idea.
"It's something that I guess I've always somewhat entertained. I've had a chance to talk with John Elway in previous years. I've visited with John Lynch, and the decision that he made to take on that job in San Francisco, and I've said many many times, I still believe there's another frontier for me — maybe there's not — but I believe that there is, and I think that might very well be it. It's something that I think would be very challenging. I'd be giving up a lot to leave the job that I have to take on a role like that. It's an all-consuming job and I certainly recognize that, but I think the challenge would make it worthwhile.
"Now whether or not I'm ever afforded that opportunity, we'll see, but with each year that passes, the likelihood of it happening becomes less and less. I understand that more and more teams want to go young and kind of groom somebody that's gonna be there for the long haul, but relatively speaking, I've got a lot of great years left and I feel that having been in a championship locker room and knowing what that looks like, what that feels like, and then I guess my job now as a broadcaster, I've been in those organizations."
— Troy Aikman
Aikman has been a prominent figure in football for over three decades. There's likely a few NFL teams to entertain the idea of him for the GM role. One of them, however, is not the Cowboys, who he played his entire NFL career for.
Why? Because Cowboys owner Jerry Jones is also the organization's general manager. That's why.
"I doubt it. I mean, I think that's a real long shot," Aikman said, via PFT. "I believe that it's unlikely that Jerry will ever bring somebody in that can help this football team in that regard just because he's been real stubborn and steadfast, in that he's the one in charge. I think in a lot of ways until that changes, this team's going to have some problems. Would he ever ask me to come be a part of it? I think that'd be a real leap of faith. I don't envision that happening, and I don't envision it happening at any point, quite honestly, no matter who's in charge out there."
No matter what happens with head coach Jason Garrett or in the NFC East and playoff hunt, Jones is still ultimately in charge as the Cowboys GM.
There are a lot of positive things Aikman could bring as an NFL Gm to help a team become a contender, but until an offer comes, the Hall of Famer will remain in the broadcast booth.
