Aikman speaks of Cowboys’ 30-year drought

Published 3:38 pm Wednesday, February 12, 2025

DALLAS — As the Dallas Cowboys go through a transition period with Brian Schottenheimer taking over as head coach, one of the more respected voices as it pertains to NFL and Cowboys dialogue, Hall of Fame quarterback Troy Aikman, is one that was heard this week.

On Tuesday, he was on hand alongside quarterback Dak Prescott for the Children’s Cancer Fund event in Dallas to help raise awareness and funds for research, as he spoke on the current state of the franchise with Schottenheimer taking over ahead of a critical offseason for the team.

Aikman credited the 25 years of experience that Schottenheimer has under his belt as an NFL assistant, but prefaced that it’s tough to ever fully prepare for being head coach of the Cowboys.

“I don’t know if you ever are ready,” Aikman said. “I hear it’s one of those jobs where you think you’re ready. But until you get in that seat and really understand everything that goes into it, you’re not quite prepared. He’s been coaching a long time. He’s got to be as prepared as anyone who has not yet been a head coach can be. I’m hopeful that he does a great job.”

The process by which the Cowboys landed on Schottenheimer has been widely criticized. After parting ways with Mike McCarthy, Dallas interviewed just four candidates, neither of which were two hot names that fans were intrigued with going into the process. However, Aikman doesn’t see it as a fair criticism.

“I think that’s probably why the reaction from the fans has been what it’s been,” he said. “When you’re talking about not having had an official interview with arguably the greatest coach of all time (Bill Belichick) and the hottest coach in this hiring cycle in Ben Johnson. That doesn’t necessarily mean anything. I don’t know how much Jerry [Jones] looked into what he wanted to do when those decisions were made, so it’s easy on the outside to try and make conclusions. I think it’s probably unfair to a lot of people.”

Aikman continued that Schottenheimer will have the same opportunity as the rest of the 2025 coaching hires when the season kicks off. A time will come for the first-time head coach to prove his value to the franchise and to fans.

“It’s one thing to hire somebody that everybody is excited about,” he said. “For instance, how they are in Chicago. But none of that matters now. When the season rolls around week one, whether it’s Ben Johnson or Kellen Moore or Brian Schottenheimer, everyone is then being judged on a level playing field and it’s all about winning. It’s not about who won the headlines once the coach was hired.”

Just a few days after the Eagles won their second Super Bowl in seven years, Aikman reflected on the drought that is now entering its 30th year without the Cowboys finishing on top. It’s hard to believe for the Hall of Fame quarterback, who thought the 1995 Super Bowl was still just the beginning.

“I remember in ‘95 when we won our last Super Bowl that I didn’t think we were done then,” he said. “I thought we had more in us. I thought we would be back. Obviously, we weren’t. Not only were we not back, here we are almost three decades later and no one has been back.”

“I think I speak for the Cowboys faithful in saying it’s been a long time. I don’t think that anybody’s happy about that, that it’s been a part of the Cowboys legacy and what this franchise has stood for for so many years.”

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