Cowboys Owner Jerry Jones: 'I Would Consider' Hiring GM Aikman
OXNARD, Calif. - Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones values greatly the work of Dallas Cowboys GM Jerry Jones. But Sunday at training camp in Oxnard, for the first time, he specifically addressed the concept of hiring fellow Hall-of-Famer Troy Aikman as a GM.
"I would consider it and I do consider it," Jones revealed. "I would not be averse to that. ... I'd put Troy at the head of the list if we were gonna make a decision as far as football personnel."
There are many "if''s'' tucked into that answer to a question from FOX4's Mike Doocy. One of the "if's'' is whether Aikman, who happened to be at camp on Sunday to in part spend time with Jerry, would himself be "averse'' to being hired.
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What Troy said about the idea in a Q&A visit with us on Sunday: “I don’t know. That job I got over there with FOX is pretty good.”
But what Troy has indicated to me over recent years?
“It’s a long shot in Dallas,'' he recently said to me. "I think it’s always been a long shot in Dallas for the simple reason that it’s a family affair. With Jerry having two sons and Stephen, of course, he’s been working in the front office ever since the team was bought. They’re not in need of that type of person. I’ve always known that.”
But Aikman is also willing to consider a major change - leaving TV - under the right circumstances. The only new hint of change Jones allowed was a seemingly open mind about adding a former player, not as general manager per se, but perhaps in an advisory role. "Vice president of Something''? "Special Assistant to the GM''? "Assistant GM''?
Where it's worked around the NFL with Ozzie Newsome (Baltimore Ravens), John Elway (Denver Broncos) and John Lynch (San Francisco 49ers), might it be a possibility at The Star in Frisco with Aikman?
Aikman has before suggested to me that he might serve an "internship'' as he learns the trade. It wouldn't be about money. And immediately, it wouldn't be about power. But at some point, he'd want to be "the GM.'' That would be about power.
And titles aside, that's the part of the story that is tough to make work with the Joneses.
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"It's a very good question," Jones said. "But only the man upstairs knows whether it would work or not. I'm always looking for ways to improve. But my philosophy remains that the best way to get to a decision is the quickest way, and the quickest way is to have the guy with the checkbook be involved at the ground level. Doing it that way has had a lot of advantages over the years."
So Jerry Jones "considers'' change but ultimately sees advantages in standing pat. That likely means the power remains where it is. Which likely means Troy Aikman remains where he is as well.
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