These days, no news is good news for the Dallas Cowboys. A season that began with Super Bowl hype has ended in disappointment, as the Cowboys failed to reach the NFL playoffs, and now they must sort through the wreckage to build a more competitive team for 2025.
The Cowboys of course are a team defined as much by its past as its present and future. Dallas can count several NFL icons among its ranks, including wide receiver Michael Irvin and quarterback Troy Aikman, who continue to chime in and hang around the franchise today, hoping someday to fraternize with Dak Prescott and CeeDee Lamb over the Super Bowls they have won.
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Aikman salutes a Dallas legend
Aikman, who is now a broadcaster for ESPN, took to Instagram on Sunday to salute another icon of the Dallas area: 1970s-era Cowboys wideout Drew Pearson, who just celebrated his 74th birthday.
“The original 88 celebrating his birthday with EIGHT,” Aikman wrote, followed by a glass of beer emoji. “HBD Drew!”
Pearson spent his entire 11-year career catching passes for the Cowboys and won one Super Bowl title, following the 1977 season. But it was not until 2021 when Pearson was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame, nearly 40 years after his playing career ended following a car accident that killed his brother Carey. Pearson was named an All-Pro three times and racked up more than 7,800 yards in his career.
Meanwhile, in the present day, Aikman has again sounded off on Mike McCarthy’s future, as the head coach’s contract nears expiration. After Cowboys owner Jerry Jones rejected the Chicago Bears‘ request to interview McCarthy for their head coach opening, Aikman believes the signs are all pointing in one direction for the embattled coach: another chance.
“I don’t know how you sell this one way or another. I’ve thought for a while that he would be back,” Aikman said during a radio interview. “I guess the fact that it hasn’t been announced publicly that he is coming back, then it must come down to a contract, if they can reach an agreement on a contract, what that might look like.”
McCarthy has rung up a 49-35 record as the Cowboys’ head coach, winning two division titles and leading Dallas into the playoffs three times. Despite his disappointing playoff record, McCarthy has been praised by Jones and others — including Aikman — for keeping Dallas competitive in 2024 despite a rash of injuries that ultimately derailed their hopes of winning the Super Bowl for the first time since 1995.