Fox Sports' Troy Aikman reveals he almost signed with three teams following Cowboys release
Whether you buy into the chatter or not, the percentage chance of Tom Brady not suiting up as the New England Patriots' quarterback next season is the highest it's been over the last two decades. Sweeping changes could be in store for the Pats, who take on the Tennessee Titans in the AFC Wild Card round on Saturday.
Troy Aikman knows what it's like to win a bunch in one place, albeit not as much as Brady. Aikman won three Super Bowls for the Dallas Cowboys in the 1990s before the team waived him and he ultimately retired after dealing with injuries. But the Fox Sports color commentator divulged to the Los Angeles Times this week the three instances in which he nearly returned to the league for different teams.
Coming out of the draft, Aikman told the Times, the only teams he wanted to play for were the Cowboys or the San Diego Chargers. And with former offensive coordinator Norv Turner on Mike Riley's Chargers coaching staff in 2001, it seemed like an ideal fit. Except new general manager John Butler, who had come over from Buffalo, signed Doug Flutie.
"I said, 'Well, OK, that makes the decision easy for me. I’ll retire,'" Aikman recalled. "So I did."
A year later, with Aikman beginning his new role in the television booth, he received a phone call from Philadelphia Eagles head coach Andy Reid telling him he'd be the starter in a Monday night matchup against the San Francisco 49ers. One thought raced through his mind before making a decision.
“I can wake up tomorrow and spend a nice couple of days in Santa Barbara," Aikman said. "Or, I can be in frigid Philadelphia getting my brains kicked in.”
Finally, Aikman tried to link up with Turner once again, this time with the Miami Dolphins. The front office got cold feet, and thus ended Aikman's comeback attempts.