Troy Aikman reveals he almost came out of retirement to play for the Miami Dolphins
Certain players are synonymous with certain teams.
When you think of Michael Jordan, you think Chicago Bulls. Peyton Manning? Indianapolis Colts. Brett Favre? Packers. The list goes on and on.
To that end, one teamshould come to mind at the mere mention of the name Troy Aikman: the Dallas Cowboys. A recent Los Angeles Times article, however, revealed that the three-time Super Bowl champion almost came out of retirement to rock the aqua and orange.
“I also considered playing for the Miami Dolphins, when Norv [Turner] was their offensive coordinator in 2002 and ‘03,” Aikman recalled. “The pattern here was I wasn’t going anywhere unless Norv was there. I knew him, and I knew that his quarterback had a chance to be successful.”
Aikman, at the time, had been retired since 2000 after three straight seasons cut short by injury. Coached by Dave Wannstedt, the Dolphins were trotting out Jay Fielder at quarterback but had dynamic running back Ricky Williams in the backfield. The former No. 1 overall pick even went as far as meeting with Wannstedt who asked him to at least consider playing again.
After giving it some thought, Aikman had actually decided to give Miami a shot. He informed Wannstedt and actually began training again. His injury history, however, became the ultimate deterrent.
“I called Norv and asked what was going on,” Aikman recounted. “He said, ‘I think they’re a little nervous about signing you. They’re worried they’re going to sign you, and you’re going to get a concussion.’”
For better or worse, the Dolphins stuck with Fielder who would only play a combined 23 games over the next two seasons. Aikman would return to the Fox Sports booth, where he remains to this day.
Aikman’s revelation followed a possible historic moment in NFL history. Love him or hate him, Brady unquestionably belongs in the NFL GOAT discussion, but his impending free agency could complicate matters.
Why?
Because seeing the 42-year-old in an uniform that doesn’t have “Patriots” scrawled across the front would take some time getting used to.
This story was originally published January 6, 2020 at 1:32 PM.
